Masters Of Puppets
by xLou26
Summary: Three girls set to conquer the WWE, first they must pave their way through NXT and their masterful pros. But things aren't always that easy. Drew McIntyre/OC Sheamus/OC Wade Barrett/OC
1. Welcome To The Lion's Den

**A/N – So this is a brand new joint fic written by myself, Katie (DefinitelyProbablyMaybe) and Chesca (celticfighter). Obviously inspired by NXT, we hope to bring you fun, flirting and lots of shenanigans. We're going to bring you a main chapter followed by 3 separate chapters dedicated to each rookie and their respectable pro. Really hope you guys enjoy reading and don't hesitate to leave feedback! **

**Chapter 1 – **_**Welcome to the Lion's Den**_

Purple and yellow lights danced around the arena, the atmosphere was thick with excitement. Backstage the atmosphere couldn't be more different, Katie looked around at the girls standing a few feet from her. Saying they were nervous would be an understatement. She elbowed her good friend Lou in the ribs, "Which one do you think will puke first?" She nodded in the direction of the 3 girls nervously fidgeting with their ring attire.

"I put my money on the blonde with air bags for boobs." They both laughed.

"Will you guys shut up, I'm trying to get in the zone." The pair turned to the brunette stood jumping on the spot, mentally preparing herself.

Lou placed a hand on her shoulder, "Chesca, relax. You've been ready for this all your life."

"I know, I'm just nervous." She looked in the direction of the other girls, "Jeez, her boobs are ridiculous. We should put money on which one pops first."

The 3 girls had been in FCW together for little over a year, now they were moving up; NXT being the platform up for them. In minutes they would be stepping out in front of the WWE universe. They would have nothing to hide behind, no excuses. But they would give their all.

Katie locked eyes with Madison, she scanned her eyes over the woman with raven black hair. She couldn't wait to kick her ass in the ring. She mouthed, _'You're going down.'_ then smirked. They'd had a feud running for a few months in FCW, but they still had some unfinished business. Before Madison could respond, they were told they had 30 seconds until they were going to be introduced.

'Busty Brandi' from Hollywood, Los Angeles was introduced first, followed by Madison from Raleigh, North Carolina then Angelina from Cleveland, Ohio. Lou stood behind the black curtain, her heart racing a mile a minute. She was given the signal to walk out, '_From New York, New York, Liberty.'_ She didn't hear her name being called, the thumping of her heart and the sounds of the crowed drowned out everything out. She stood at the top of the ramp with her hands on her hips next to Angelina, the sight before her was overwhelming but she couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

'_From London, England, Arabella.'_ Katie shot out of the back, a smirk plastered on her face as she stared down the crowd. Her eyes scanned the crowd lining the sides of the ramp as she moved to stand next to Lou. She sent her a knowing look, and Lou grinned back.

'_From North Beach, San Francisco, Titania._' Chesca walked out onto the stage, her head held high. Confidence clearly shining through all of her actions. She pointed out some of the crowd and moved to stand next to Katie. She let out a breath, adrenaline fast running through her veins.

The 6 girls stood, anxiously waiting to see what would happen next. Matt Striker stood in the ring facing the girls, "Ladies, welcome to NXT." The crowd cheered, "Before we can get started, we need to know who your pros are. And that is for you to find out yourselves this season."

Katie and Chesca glanced at each other whilst Lou trash talked to Angelina. "This is also your first challenge. Whoever is the quickest at finding their pro backstage after being given a clue, wins." Lou turned her attention back to the ring, "Brandi, here is your clue. The clock will start when you go through the curtain." All of the girls glanced up at the titantron, eagerly waiting to see the clue. A picture of a playing card flashed onto the screen, the red queen of hearts to be exact.

Brandi rushed backstage; the girls were still a little bit unsure if she had actually figured out the clue. A camera followed her backstage, her 6 inch stripper heels restricting her efforts to run. She glanced around the backstage area, her hair whipping back and forth as she took in her surroundings. Taking a long step forward, the heel of her shoe caught a row of wires stuck to the ground. Her eyes caught sight of Natalya Neidhart stood at the end of the long corridor ahead of her, "NATA.." A scream left her mouth as she landed face first on the floor. She quickly got up, adjusting her giant boobs. Limping slightly she tried her best to run towards Natalya, a smile across her face and waving madly. Natalya looked surprised to say the least, but gave the girl a hug before leading her down to the stage.

"Well done Brandi, you've set the time to beat which is 39 seconds." Matt Striker looked on at Brandi jumping up and down clapping her hands. Lou pulled a face and scoffed at her, hoping she would give herself black eyes with all that jumping. "Liberty, you are up next. Here's your clue." Lou turned to look at the titantron, geared up to leg it backstage as fast as she could. A huge picture of a jar of mayonnaise with a gold crown settled on top flashed up. She covered her mouth to hold back laughter before running backstage in search of the Celtic Warrior. She glanced at the names on the doors, everything slowly becoming a blur. She looked to her right, a very big Sheamus stood. His fists clenched at his sides, a smirk upon his face. She ran full force at him, unable to contain her emotions and only just able to control her actions. She jumped on him and found herself hanging from his neck. His arms moved around her waist to stop her from falling, and a smile crept onto his face for a moment. She let go of him, her feet hitting the concrete floor. He pointed in the direction of where she had just come, telling her to go back onto the stage. She set off and he followed close behind her, eventually making it onto the stage.

"Liberty, you are now in the lead with a time of 28 seconds." Lou grinned and looked at the huge man behind her. He looked down at her and smirked back, she had a feeling they were going to get along.

"Titania, step forward and let's have a look at your clue." NXT's host's words sounded like a far away echo in Chesca's head: the half-Italian woman internally took a deep breath and shot a look at Lou, the giant Irish wrestler towering over her. The blonde New Yorker sent her a huge, encouraging smile, and Katie winked at her; pointing out at the crowd once again, wearing one of her most convincing smirks, the brunette turned to face the titantron with her hands resting on her hips. The girl widened her eyes and felt her heartbeat stop: a sledgehammer had just appeared on the tron. Sledgehammer. There was only one man who could be recalled by that vicious, devastating foreign weapon.

She walked backstage like a zombie, the direction set on her mind: the furthest locker room in the hallway, which seemed to be endless under her steps; the door was open, and the rookie stepped inside, looking around: D-Generation X logos and crowned skulls drawn on some of the shirts hanging on the hallstands, the sledgehammer, _his sledgehammer_ lying in a corner, but no trace of the man, himself.

"Looking for someone, girl?" The voice appeared from behind her: deep, mysterious, and oh so well known to her ears; she slowly turned to face the wrestler who was to be her protector, her trainer during that reality show's season: the wet, long blond hair reaching down to his collar bone, the tanned skin under it, the hazel eyes emanating that familiar light, and the unmistakable facial hair framing his strong features.

"T - Tripl.." the only words, or better, letters Chesca was able to let out of her mouth: then, she fell on her knees, losing her senses, but luckily Triple H managed to catch her before she hit her head on the floor.

"I got this, Striker. Coming in a minute." the King of Kings talked to the camera, shaking his head and smiling at the fainted girl in his arms.

Back on stage, Sheamus looked at his feud enemy and the scene he just had with his rookie, a smirk on his features, while Katie and Lou exchanged a look. 'At least she's in her fave's arms' the British girl mouthed to the other, who had a little laugh hiding it behind a hand.

"Angelina, it's your turn!" Striker invited the girl with the ash blonde, slightly wavy hair to step forward and she raised a hand, waving at the crowd with a fake smile plastered on her tanned face; they had already learned the routine, so all the girls just fixed their eyes on the titantron: one half of the old Women's Championship belt appeared, some of the girls were smirking at each other, realising who the pro behind the clue could be. The blonde girl tapped a finger on her fleshy lips, and slowly walked backstage her high heeled boots clicking against the steel of the stage.

The camera showed her as she walked down the hallway, concentration set on her features; passing by a couple of backstage workers she spoke to herself, "A belt split in half..." she stopped her loud voice thinking as she bumped into a WWE Superstar: Zack Ryder.

"Need some help, baby?" a cocky smirk appeared on the blonde wrestler's face as he took her hand in his and gave it a kiss. "Zack Ryder. Woo woo woo, you know it."

"Angelina." She replied, flapping her long, black eyelashes. "Where's the Divas locker room, Zack?"

"I know where my locker room is, if you want to stop by later..." he lifted his eyebrow at her as she bit down on her lower lip.

"Angelina? May I remind you that time is clocking up?" Matt Striker spoke from the arena, snorting; with a frown. Ryder and the girl parted, after he had pointed out a door just down the corridor. She swung the door open and looked around: there was only Layla there, and no Michelle McCool around, so she supposed that the broken belt stood for her.

"Layla, Layla! My pro is Layla!" she jumped on her heels and clapped her hands as the older, brunette woman approached her, shaking her hand with a smug look on her face. A time of 29 seconds appeared on the screen, Liberty was still in the running to win the challenge.

Madison was next up, her face completely focused on the huge screen, waiting for her clue to pop up so she could find her pro. She flipped her raven hair over one shoulder, forgetting about the other rookies beside her. A French flag flashed up on the titantron and the Raleigh native shouted out "Maryse!" before legging it through the curtain in search of the cocky Diva. The clock had started when she reached the other side, opting to turn left and down the corridor towards the Divas' locker room. Her toned legs began to pulse with every movement as she ran faster and faster; her head whipping from side to side just in case Maryse was hiding somewhere else. Sure enough, Madison spotted her pro once she swung the door open at the end of the corridor. The clock stopped at a respectable time of 21 seconds and the equally smug women sauntered towards the stage, their arms linked. They were going to get along just fine. Most of the rookies groaned when Striker called out Madison's time but not Katie; she was more than ready. It fired her up even more when the leader of the contest reached the main stage and dryly challenged her as she stepped towards her.

"Beat that, bitch."

Oh man, she was fucking ready. Her fists clenched tightly when the words were slung her way in a sly undertone; Madison had been grinding on Katie's last nerve for months now; interfering in her matches, calling her out all the time, fucking with her belongings backstage – the list went on and on. She'd had enough and she wasn't going to stoop to her level by any means. Oh no, she was going to beat Madison the old fashioned way: in the ring and in all the lame challenges they were going to be given throughout the competition. Her eyes snapped from the devious wannabe to the titantron, her legs positioned ready to run.

"Arabella, you're the final rookie to get your clue. The time to beat is 21 seconds, here we go." Striker's enthusiastic tone drummed out of the microphone and in the arena. A picture of an English red rose appeared on the screen and the British rookie knew exactly where she was heading. The young woman disappeared backstage before anyone had a second thought. The Nexus locker room was her definitive destination; she was going to be under the wing of the leader of the most egotistical and arguably most powerful group in the WWE. The run seemed to go on forever but Katie was determined to beat the bitch that was undoubtedly glaring at the titantron, staring at the ticking clock. He walked out of the locker room down the hall and stood watching her run to him with his arms folded over his chest. Athleticism was one of her strong points, proven when she leaped over a crate obstructing her pathway and landed at Stu Bennett's (better known as Wade Barrett) feet. Katie smirked up at him as he stared her down. He didn't even look impressed – a part of her thought he'd a least throw a smile her way. The burly man grabbed her by the elbow and practically dragged her out to the stage; his grip less than friendly.

"And the winner of the 'Find the Pro' challenge is Arabella with a time of 19 seconds!" Katie couldn't believe she was actually getting cheered despite being the rookie of the most hated man in the WWE. He hadn't even said a word to her, no shake of the hand or nod of acknowledgement; nothing. Getting through to Wade Barrett would be a challenge in itself.

Madison had little time to get to know her pro before her match with Brandi, she had lost the challenge. Now she had to take out her frustration on the blonde airhead. Maryse gave her a few pointers before they went out, trying to get the best out of her rookie. Maryse strutted down to the ring, stealing the attention from her rookie but that wasn't a hard feat. Madison jumped up and down to the ring, trying to hype up the crowd. Maryse was already stood at the back of ring as she slipped under the ropes. The pair stood chatting, discussing the approach of attack. Natalya's music hit, Brandi looked a treat as she skipped down the ramp. Maryse was already as the side of the ring, throwing attitude to Natalya and Brandi at any opportunity. Natalya's perfect smile didn't leave her lips as she entered the ring with her rookie; so she might need a bit of work, but she wouldn't have got this far if she didn't have potential.

Brandi high fived her pro before Natalya left the ring to cheer her on. Madison stood stretching out her arms, smirking at her opponent. The ref signalled the start of the match and the bell rung. Brandi ran at Madison only to be knocked flat to the mat with a clothesline. She picked her up by her platinum blonde hair, only to throw her back down onto the mat with a loud thud. Natalya grimaced at her rookie being thrown around like a rag doll. Maryse on the other hand stood clapping and cheering at the destruction her rookie was effortlessly causing.

Madison stalked around the ring, eyeing up her prey and getting ready for the kill. Brandi crawled to the ropes, trying to pull her body off the mat. Natalya rushed to speak to her, warning her of what was about to come. Brandi turned around quickly to try and run at Madison but was caught in a devastating _Madistun_. She hooked her leg and the ref hit the mat 3 times before signalling for the bell. Madison rolled out of the ring to join her pro; both with smug looks upon their faces leaven a broken and battered Brandi in the ring.

Lou stood backstage with Stephen, better known to the wrestling world as Sheamus. He had just put on his King of The Ring cape, his crown clutched tightly in his hand.

"Would yeh mind giving me a hand, lass?" Lou looked up at him and smiled, she took the crown from his hand as he crouched down slightly so she could reach. She placed the crown on his fiery red hair, gently playing with it at the back as she made sure it was secure. He looked up at her and presented her with a kind smile. "Nervous?"

"Me?" She gave him a questioning glance, pointing her index finger to herself. "Katie's my friend but I want to win this thing more than anything. I'm ready for this." When Sheamus' music hit, the huge man offered Lou his arm for her to take. It was time to show the world her wrestling skills.

Coming back from a quick break, '_We are one'_ blasted throughout the arena and out strutted Wade Barrett, his rookie Katie walking close behind, pumped from her challenge win. Her eyes focused on the ring ahead of her, she was getting into the zone – getting into Arabella mode. The crowd booed deafeningly, obviously for the leader of the Nexus. She had a feeling that the boos would rub off onto her at some point. When Stu reached the ring, he stared back at Katie, pointed to the ring and shouted for her to get in there; like she even needed telling twice. She stormed past him without a second look and stamped up the steel steps. She really wanted to tell him where he could go and she'd only known him for half an hour. The surly look plastered on his face was priceless; he was already losing his patience for the girl. He climbed onto the apron, standing in their corner as the camera balanced shots between the mismatched Wade and Arabella, and the immediately sound pairing of Sheamus and Liberty. The contrast was incredible; Sheamus spoke strategy, his hand covering his mouth that was whispering in Liberty's ear; whereas, Wade said nothing to Arabella – the hefty slap he gave to her between her shoulder blades spoke volumes. _Impress me_.

The two women were to start the match, slapping hands with each other in the centre of the ring for good sportsmanship. Katie could hear Stu behind her, scoffing at her attempt to settle the score fairly with her good friend. She glanced at him over her shoulder; he eyed her, shaking his head. She turned back to Lou and rolled her eyes dramatically, causing her opponent to smirk at her actions and quickly recover with a poker face when the bell rang, signalling the beginning of the match. They locked up, Katie pushing Lou into the right-hand corner away from both Sheamus and Wade, her hands gripped securely around Lou's shoulder and neck area. The referee began the five count, Katie backing away at the count of four, kicking Lou in the mid-section. She looked over to her corner; Stu's face didn't give anything away. Her attention was split between her opponent and her 'mentor' who didn't seem the slightest bit interested in what she was doing in the ring. Lou took advantage of the situation, whipping Katie into the same corner and pummelling her with left and right hooks, standing on the third rope. Once again, the referee counted to five before pulling the woman off of her and giving her a few words of warning. Lou looked to Stephen who smirked at her and praised her spirit.

Meanwhile, Stu was becoming impatient with Katie's lack of initiative; he wouldn't tell her but he'd seen her matches in FCW and the way she was acting right now was not her normal self.

"Take her down!" He boomed from across the ring, slamming his hand on the turnbuckle he was situated at. Katie kicked Lou again so she doubled over in order to catch her in a headlock. Her fist bunched underneath Lou's chin, knuckles digging into her skin to make the move even more painful. She may have been her friend but this was a competition after all – if she treated her friends this way, imagine how much suffering she'd cause Madison when they locked up. Katie increased the pressure on Lou's neck; the hurt on her face was evident, she squeezed her eyes shut, grabbing at Katie's strong arm. She battled out of her grasp, pushing her into the ropes and clotheslining her to the mat.

"Get up right now!" Stu shouted at Katie who was rolling on the floor, clutching her neck. Lou had made it to her corner, tagging in the ever-ready Sheamus. Katie got to her feet and tagged Stu in with a tap on his shoulder; the man would never go for a clean tag. He turned to face her quickly, mouthing at her to 'watch and learn' before grappling with Stephen with a battle of strength. Lou watched on as Stephen whipped Stu into the rope and caught him with the Irish Curse, the back-breaking sound made her shudder but applaud her able pro. Katie laughed really hard at Stu getting hit with such a powerful move – he fucking deserved that for acting like a complete dick to her all the way through the show so far. He regained his composure, sending a sadistic glare in her direction before flooring Stephen with a big boot. He stomped over to her and tagged her in by her upper arm.

"Finish off this match," he said as he exited through the ropes and down onto the mats at ringside, "And don't fuck it up."

"What? You're just going to leave me?" She asked in disbelief, her London accent completely apparent.

"I'm observing. Finish it before you're done yourself." He pointed to the ring, Katie turned to see a very ready and replenished Lou jumping up and down on the spot, giving Stephen a great view of her backside. She narrowed her eyes at her, getting back into the zone. They grappled once more, Katie gaining the upper hand and whipping her front-first into one of the turnbuckles. She grabbed Lou's left arm and lifted her over her shoulder in a fireman's carry, slamming her to the floor. Again, her pro didn't bat an eyelid; his hands were palm-down on the apron, his long fingers tapping the canvas intolerantly. She pulled Lou to the centre of the ring and covered to get a two count – close call. She turned the woman lying on the mat over, digging a knee into her back and stretching her upwards. Katie may have been a grappler but she knew how to make an opponent submit just as well. Stephen stood in his corner, slamming his hand down on the turnbuckle numerous times, not only encouraging the crowd for rare support but to encourage Lou to break the hold.

"Put more pressure on her!" Stu demanded rudely, becoming more irate by the second. Speaking of irate, Katie wasn't best pleased with his ordering around. She was fast losing her composure with Wade Barrett. He sent a tut in her direction when she ignored him. "Do as I say!"

"SHUT UP!" She yelled, completely fed up with his inability to coach properly and encourage like Lou's pro. Why couldn't she have gotten Sheamus as a pro instead of Wade? He and Lou had already seemed to hit it off straight away and Katie was already arguing with her nightmare.

The anger coursed through Stu's veins at Katie's outburst; his jade eyes widening as she stared him down from inside the ring. Focused solely on the stare down, she got up and leaned over the ropes ready to kill him when a hand dragged her back and rolled her up in a pin. 1...2...3...it was all over. Lou jumped up in celebration, Stephen wrapping his arms around her before pulling away and raising her hand in victory. Katie wasn't even shocked at what just occurred; she was way too busy hating on Stu. Her body rolled out of the ring and stormed up the ramp, leaving Wade hot on her heels. She wouldn't hear the end of this; but she was damn ready to give as good as she got.

"Trips? You're out after the break." A backstage worker appeared on The Game's locker room's doorframe, warning him and his rookie about their match that was up next. Since the moment she had fainted in front of him, Chesca hadn't let a single word out: she still felt so embarrassed she hadn't even introduced herself to her pro, but it would have been ten times more difficult, because he was probably her greatest wrestling hero ever; she was sit on a steel chair, her eyes fixed on the television monitor showing Sheamus' and Lou's celebration after the match they had just won, and she was trying her best not to look at Hunter.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, standing up from the bench he was sitting and went to turn off the television "Sure you want to fight?" He curved a corner of his lips, smiling. She shook her head from the trance she had gotten into, finding the will to look him in the eyes.

"I'm okay, I can do this." the half Italian girl replied, brushing a hand through her hair; the dark blond wrestler held a hand out at her, she shyly placed her small hand in his and got lifted up.

"I'm Paul, by the way." he held her hand for a few seconds, firmly shaking it, and she tried to smile back. "But the cool guys call me Hunter."

"Francesca" she pronounced her name, "But the cool guys call me Chesca." The Game chuckled, and let her hand go, widening his arm in the door's direction.

"Then, after you, Chesca." she would have probably melted or fainted once again, but that wasn't the right time, so she just went out the locker room, waiting for him to pick up his leather jacket.

The King of Kings on her back, she walked towards the stage entrance, just in time to see her friend Katie storm backstage: she had seen her like that just a few times, and she knew it was better to stay away from her. Chesca stepped aside to let her angry British friend pass, Trips lifting his eyebrow at the sight.

"Katie? Are you alright?" The girl asked to the other wrestler, increasing the loudness in her voice so she could hear her.

"ASK THAT FUCKER BEHIND ME!" From down the corridor came the angry English girl's response, just in time to see Wade Barrett going after his rookie: he had almost teared Chesca down if Trips hadn't grabbed her by her shoulders pulling her back, avoiding the contact with the huge Englishman. The look on his face was just mirroring Katie's, appearing even scarier due to his size.

"That Barrett guys scares the hell out of me, sometimes." Paul had shot a look at the couple, placing a hand on her back and gently pushing his rookie in the entrance's direction; Chesca chuckled shyly.

"You scared the hell out of me when I was younger," she admitted to him, "Especially when you growled your catchphrase." Hunter smirked, proudly: he felt the girl's admiration for him, and he was certainly pleased with it.

The lights in the arena went out, Motorhead's Lemmy roared out _'Time To Play The Game'_: a flashback of her childhood, when she used to take a sip of water and spit it out over her head before entering the bathtub playing Triple H's entrance obviously ran to her mind, making her smile at the thought she was now side by side with her wrestler, ready to take down that useless blonde Angelina.

The crowd exploded as The Cerebral Assassin came on stage, pointing at the crowd and then pointing at Chesca, who was slowly approaching the ring in front of him: she did her best to hide her agitation, acting cocky and self confident, though the way to the squared circle looked endless in that dark atmosphere, lightened up by green spotlights over the audience and the white one following the couple as they made their way.

She often shot looks over her shoulder, as if she wanted to make sure that Trips was still there. And there he was, sending her encouraging looks and inviting her to step on the apron with him, as he made his signature entrance.

The Game stood at her side as they both watched Angelina and Layla making their way to the ring: the English half of Laycool sent cocky and arrogant smiles all around, clapping her hands at her blonde rookie, who was jumping around and slapping the hands of people at the sides of the ramp.

"Eat lightning and crap thunder, okay?" Hunter winked an eye and softly patted her shoulder, getting out of the ring and placing himself at ringside, his elbows leaning on the apron. Chesca stretched her neck and took a deep breath: it was time to become Titania.

She looked at the blonde so-called wrestler in front of her: her sparkly outfit made her even more hateful for her likings. The bell ringing three times started the match, firing up the half Italian girl: that sound was what turned her on the most in that world. Chesca didn't leave Angelina the time to lock hands with her: she had been quicker, and had given her a kick to the guts, making her bend over in pain, squealing; then she grabbed her hand and loaded a powerful Irish whip, sending the blonde to kiss the turnbuckle with her back. She pointed at her and let a scream out her mouth as she charged and ran onto her, applying a shoulder block onto the thinner woman who was locked at the turn buckle. Angelina managed to put her hands on her head, pulling her up and delivering her a headbutt, making her fall backwards on the mat.

Trips started beating rhythmically on the apron, and she felt her pro's encouragement: she couldn't fail, knowing _he _was at ringside, cheering for her. She quickly stood up avoiding the blonde's elbow smash and charged an uppercut to her tanned chin. Taking advantage of the ropes and of Angelina's momentary confusion, she ran a little towards the rope, gripped onto the third one and jumped to deliver her opponent a devastating scissor kick to her head: Layla at ringside couldn't help but shake her head at her rookie's bad timing and passiveness. The seventeenth time World Champion smirked at his _protégée_'s skills; they had told her she had the moves, but he had never seen her wrestle live, and her wrestling pleasantly surprised him.

Now Chesca had locked her opponent in a headlock, tightening her arms around Angelina's slim neck: she had tried to pull the girl's arms away, but she didn't succeed at it, so she just stood up from her knees, carrying her on her back, then she let herself fall, squashing Titania on the mat, causing her to let a moan of pain out.

Angelina hooked Chesca's leg, but she didn't even get a two count, the half Italian wrestler escaped from her grip and threw her legs over Angelina's shoulders getting on her side, pulling one of her arms into an armbar. The blonde girl let screams out her fleshy lips, Layla clapping her hands trying to charge her rookie up; Hunter was doing the same thing, beating his hands against the apron harder a couple of times, showing his approval for his rookie's moves. After a couple of minutes, the girl from San Francisco let the blonde's arm go, and she stood up. Seeing as the girl was lying on the mat, she took the occasion to quickly jump on the turnbuckle, but she waited until her opponent stood up, confusedly looking around; Titania dived on her, delivering a clothesline, the crowd roaring and approving her aerial move. But that was the right time for her finisher: _the Alcatraz_, a standing corkscrew moonsault, an aerial move she had spent years to learn, but that had always captured the talent scouts' attention as she was in the indies.

The girl shot a look at The Game, mouthing 'watch this': then she turned her back at Angelina, lying on the mat behind her, and she loaded her move, jumping and rolling her legs over her head, twisting in the air and falling with her abs on the blonde's, more and more people cheering for her as she hooked her leg and got the three count. Ding ding ding, the bell sealed the match's end, breathing heavily Chesca stood up, a tired but satisfied smile on her face as the referee pulled her arm up and the announcer said her name; Trips had immediately rushed into the ring.

He had been watching the final minutes of the match in total amazement, astonished by that young woman's abilities: at first he didn't even want to take part in that NXT thing, but Chesca had made such a good impression on him he was starting to like everything about his rookie, not only the fact she was a true fan of his. The girl looked at him, searching for his consent: flashing his unmistakable smile, Hunter threw his arms around her knees and lifted her up, making her sit on his broad shoulder, showing her off to the crowd.

She raised her fist in victory, flashing her whites all around and her heart beating at light speed. Not only she had won her first ever WWE match, but Triple H was carrying her on his shoulders; for a minute she wondered if Katie or Lou were watching, backstage: her friends knew how addicted to that man and everything revolving around him she was, and they could probably guess she felt on top of the world in that moment.

Actually, she did feel on top of her world.


	2. Who's The Boss?

**Chapter 2 – **_**Who's the Boss?**_

_-Backstage at NXT-_

"What the fuck was that out there?" Stu's voice shot down the backstage hallway as he ran after Katie; his okay-mood completely obliterated by his rookie. "Oi," he caught up to her and grabbed her by the shoulder to turn her around, "don't you dare walk away from me. Haven't you got any respect?"

"Respect?" Katie spat at him angrily, "you want to talk respect?" She prodded him in his hard chest with her long index finger. "Why should I respect you when you sure as hell don't respect me? It was a tag match – T.A.G." Each time she spoke a letter at him it was laced with poison. "You left me out there by myself."

"I wanted you to show some bloody initiative!" He was getting up in her face by this point. An audible rumble came from the back of his throat as he pushed her up against the wall with some force. "You're a disgrace."

"I had something to prove out there and you fucking ruined it. I was about to get Lou into my finisher and then you bark orders at me like I'm some sort of slave."

"The only thing you proved out there was that you've got a bad attitude."

"Why don't you just shut your fucking mouth for once, Barrett?" As soon as the words escaped her, Stu smirked knowing his last point had just been confirmed.

He leant his body further into her, "Watch your mouth, rookie." _Direct order_. Katie was having none of it, biting back the urge to break his nose; she straightened up and let out a breath.

"Yeah because that's all I am to you, huh. A rookie. You don't even care enough about this competition to even ask my name."

"I'll have you know that this competition means a lot to me. Aren't you forgetting that I won the first season; easily for that matter?"

"Well I'm surprised your abnormally big head can fit in the hallway." She smirked when his face dropped and his large hand gripped her wrist tightly. Tough love, Stu thought, was what the woman required.

"Listen, I don't have to be here. I could be taking care of official Nexus business but instead I'm taking time out of my busy schedule to coach some amateur who isn't even grateful or open to insight." Amateur? Katie's blood was boiling; the girl was ready to erupt, rip his head off and throw the remains to some rabid dogs. If he wasn't crushing his weight against her right now she would have no problem slapping him in the face.

"I want to win this." She simply stated, calmer than she'd ever looked before. That was a horrible sign that something would kick off momentarily – the calm before the storm. Her hazel eyes connected with his green ones, his heated breath ghosted her cheek he was that close. "And I don't need some egomaniac standing in the way of me reaching my dream. So if you're not in it just fuck off because you're not helping me out at all right now."

"Since when did I get stuck with such a foul-mouthed rookie?"

"I guess the bosses thought someone like you could handle me; well guess what?" She leaned forward as much as she could, her knee connecting with Stu's mid-section then his crotch. "You can't handle me, Wade Barrett."

He released her in order to nurse his offended body part, groaning in pain. Katie looked down at the retreating man, smirking. "So don't even try, okay?" Stu coughed, the wind being knocked out of him when she kicked him; he lifted his head in time to watch her sauntering off in the direction of the locker room, her attitude eluded pride. She was proud that she'd put him in his place so early in the season after John Cena had been trying to do so for months.

~#~

"Great, just great." Hunter and Chesca were heading backstage after the pro had stopped at ringside signing autographs for a couple of minutes. "I know a few great women who would be proud of you."

"Oh, come on," the half Italian girl tried to hide her smile at the wrestler's compliment, her cheeks turning slightly red. "It was only...let's call it a warm up match." She ended her sentence, taking a sip from the little bottle of water in her hands. Trips liked the young woman's attitude; he could see she was aware of her skills, yet she was being modest.

"Warm up?" The blonde lifted an eyebrow at her and chuckled, as they were in front of his locker room, "then I guess we'll have to put up something more entertaining for your tastes, miss?" He smirked in her direction, a hand resting on his large hip: the woman behind Titania pushed a tuft of wavy hair behind her ear, and mirrored her hero's smirk.

"I always enjoy myself when I'm in the ring." She admitted, shrugging her shoulders, her eyes meeting Triple H's fierce ones. "The fun doubles when I'm beating up on people I don't like." Even though outside the ring she was shy, nice and easy going, Hunter had the chance to see how self-confident, dominant and cocky she could be when he had seen her wrestle: under his guidance, he was pretty sure she had the potential to become a kick ass heel Diva.

"The sadistic expression on your face showed that, I guess." Trips kept on looking at her; she was no Maryse, but she surely was good looking; her eyes were two open windows, transparent and deep, surely the majority of the FCW roster had been enchanted by that look. They heard a phone ringing, and Hunter recognized it as his, vibrating in his jeans' pocket: he pulled it out and glanced at the screen, 'Steph' flashing on it.

"Hey honey," As he answered the call, Chesca waved at him wanting to head to her locker room with the other girls, but he stopped her gently grabbing her forearm.  
"Yeah, I'm alright. Hm? Oh, you watched NXT?" Paul shot a look at his rookie, and his lips curved into a smile, "I know, I know...Trust me, I saw her wrestle live and she's way more amazing than on TV."

"Steph says the kids have liked you since you stepped on stage." He said, making her blush as she listened to him."Chesca. Yeah, that's her real name. Next time you're coming around I'll make you guys meet." The pro looked at his rookie and winked, his trademark smirk appearing, sending her mind to the gutter; Trips nodded at her to wait, and took a few steps in the hallway.

"She's not a slut, I know for sure. Yeah, she's sweet and respectful." He glanced at the brunette standing by the door, as he listened to his wife talking, "Of course, you know I melt in front of my fans. Oh, remind me to get her the new tee." Hunter brushed a hand on his jaw and facial hair, and then chuckled, "No, she's not gonna fall for a forty-year-old big nosed wrestler like me: you're the only one that has ever liked me, hun."

He probably didn't know how much a girl could love the man that had made her laugh, cry, get angry and shout at the television for the majority of her life, becoming an inspiration and settling the standards for her boyfriends.

"Sure, talk to you later. I love you." He hung up and put his phone back in the pocket, sending another smile to the young woman waiting for him to come back.

"Everything okay?" Chesca asked him as he approached her; Hunter shook his head and rested a hand on his left hip, the golden wedding ring slightly glistening under the cold white light of the backstage.

"Yeah," he said to her, and then placing a hand on her shoulder, "I wanted to settle the work out hours with you before you go."

"You say it; I do it." The girl replied, her eyes still filled with admiration "Time?"

"Then 7.00 tomorrow morning," he smirked again. "Let's see if you can surprise me again by standing my training." The half Italian girl sucked in a breath and let out a little laugh.

"Surprise is my second name, Hunter," for a second she wore herself confident in-ring character. "Have a good night then." Chesca shook hands with The Game, and blushed as he placed a quick kiss on her knuckles.

"Don't be late." He added, before parting from her as she made her way down the corridor waving back. Standing on the locker room's doorway, the Cerebral Assassin looked at the girl, a smile plastered on his tough features. He naturally couldn't wait to discover the aces up her sleeves: Chesca was interesting both from an athletic and a human point of view, but he was sure there were a lot of other different sides of her personality and abilities that he still had to find out.

~#~

"Did yeh have fun out there?" Lou looked up to the door of the locker room, a half naked Stephen stood leaning against the doorframe.

She smiled, "So much fun." She stood up as he walked further into the room, closing the door behind him. "Thank you for cheering me on, your support helped so much." She bit her lip as a grin spread across his face.

"Yer welcome sweetheart, yeh've got a lot of potential." She couldn't hide the grin on her face as the two time WWE champion praised her. Her eyes drifted down his chest to the top of his workout shorts and the hip dents peeking out from the waistband. A body like his needed to be admired, she couldn't comprehend the hours he must have spent working out and training to get such a defined physique.

"I want yeh to come to the gym with me in the morning. I think yeh need to work on yer flexibility; it will help yeh with the submission moves." Her eyes widened, he was actually inviting her to work out with him. She had to jump at such an opportunity.

"I would love to, thank you so much." She pushed her long blonde hair over her shoulder and smiled.

"6.30am isn't too early?" Raising an eyebrow he waited for her reply.

She wanted to groan; she had been looking forward to a lie in, "No, not at all."

He smirked at her slightly, "Good, I can't wait to teach yeh a few things. What's yer number and I'll call yeh in the morning?"

"Do you have your phone?" She raised an eyebrow at him as she looked over his attire; she knew he didn't have his phone.

"Ah, no. I guess I forgot about that." She wanted to laugh at his nervous mannerisms as he played with the hair at the base of his neck.

Lou dug around in her bag for her phone, handing it over to Stephen when she found it; "Put your number in and I'll call you. Then you'll have my number."

"Not just a pretty face then." From any other man she would have been offended but his smirk and tone made her skin tingle, like he had just told her she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

"You just wait; I can be a calculating cold bitch when I want to be." Her hard words were followed by a sweet smile.

"Ah guess we're gonna get on just fine then." He flashed his perfect smile, which almost made her crumble to pieces on the floor, "Goodnight, Lou. I'll see yeh bright and early." He winked at her as he placed the phone back in her hand, closing her large hand around hers and placing a soft lingering kiss above her knuckles before smirking and leaving nothing but an awestruck Lou in his wake.

_-At the Hotel-_

"I'm telling you, he's a psycho." Lou and Chesca stared at Katie in complete amusement as they walked through the glass doors and into the hotel lobby. They were all dragging their suitcases behind them, walking in a line across the shiny floor in order to get to the check-in desk. She hadn't let up at all in the car, moaning about how Wade Barrett was getting kicks out of embarrassing her and ordering her about like his lackey. "These weeks are going to be hell with him, I just know it. It'll probably be even worse now that I've assaulted him."

"What?" The two rookies stopped in their tracks.

"He was getting in my face backstage," Katie began to explain whilst Lou shook her head. "So I ever so politely asked him to leave me alone by kicking him in the bollocks. No big deal." Chesca slammed a hand to her mouth as soon as the words left Katie's lips.

"So you stunted his chances of being a father? Poor guy."

"Poor guy? Poor me! I'm stuck with his whiny arse."

"You realise he's going to work you twice as hard now." Lou piped up becoming the voice of reason, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And just so you know, you're acting like a whiny ass too."

"Yeah, you're actually quite evenly matched when you think about it." Chesca's agreement caused the pair of them to laugh and Katie to roll her eyes at her two friends.

"Urgh, why couldn't I have gotten an awesome pro like Triple H or a hunky Celtic warrior like Sheamus?" Lou's face brightened up at the mentioning of her pro.

"Stephen's really great, you know."

"Ooh Stephen's really great, you know," Katie mockingly quipped back at Lou in a terrible American accent, making the grin on her face to drop to a frown. "So it's Stephen now, is it?" The New Yorker kept quiet; she hadn't stopped thinking about the Irishman ever since she jumped into his arms during the 'Find the Pro' challenge. She ran a hand through her blonde locks and shuffled her feet against the floor, eyes focused on Katie and Chesca tapping their feet in unison, impatiently.

"I saw the way you guys were acting throughout your match from backstage; he looked completely into you."

"He was just being an encouraging pro, Ches."

"Which is refreshing considering the monstrosity I'm stuck with." Katie's mind drifted back to the half Italian's words. What the hell was she suggesting when she said Katie and Stu were evenly matched? Her train of thought was cut short when Chesca grabbed two key cards from the receptionist. "Oh look, Lou, we're roomies!" The pair squealed happily and began jumping up and down in front of a very subdued Katie.

"What? Who am I rooming with then?" She walked up to the receptionist and was told that her roommate had already checked in. Lou and Chesca stopped their celebration when they heard the shrill voice of Busty Brandi, her much too cheerful demeanour poisoning the air around Katie. As she strutted towards her, boobs bouncing out of radar, Katie attempted to mentally prepare herself for the night ahead of her – a fake smile plastered on her face all the while.

"We'll see you later, okay?" Lou hugged Katie whilst Chesca waved at her from the elevators, pressing the button for their floor. She grabbed Lou's arms when she moved away from her, pulling her in front of the fast-approaching Brandi.

"No, no. You cannot leave me with that plastic Barbie doll!" She offered her a sympathetic smile and prized herself from her grip, squeezing her shoulder as she followed Chesca.

"Oh. My. God!" Brandi laughed when she finally reached her roommate. She pulled her in for a hug which Katie didn't reciprocate; she was even more pissed now. "We're gonna have so much fun! It'll be like a girly slumber party!" The American woman's strident voice was hard to take; and she wasn't looking forward to painting nails, doing make-overs and having pillow fights when really all Katie wanted to do was punch her dumb Barbie head off.

She grabbed her hand, giving her key card to her and pulled her unwillingly towards the elevators. "Great," Katie mumbled sarcastically under her breath, "just what I need after the day I've had."

~#~

"Phone number?" Chesca lifted an eyebrow to the New Yorker, who was going around their hotel room and putting her things in order. "Are you serious?" Lou stopped for a second and nodded, crossing arms on her chest and slightly blushing.

"He asked for it first," she replied, shrugging her shoulders, "But it was just for the trai..."

"Yeah, right," the half Italian stood up and smirked, opening up her suitcase, "Training, of course." As Chesca passed behind her, the blonde slapped her arm.

Lou narrowed her eyes at her roommate, "So did Trips have to catch you anymore?" The other girl snorted, entering the bathroom.

"Hey, I was only...Only..." Actually, Lou had hit a nerve: Chesca barely had words to reply, "Yeah, you know how I was." She could hear her friend's chuckles from the other room.

"Too in love to stand the sight?" The blonde said, "Have you already told him you carry his action figure everywhere you go?" The girl from North Beach appeared by the doorframe and threw Lou a slipper, which she managed to avoid.

Lou's phone rang in her bag settled on the bed, she rushed over and grinned as she saw Stephens name flashing up. "Oh, he can't leave you alone for 5 minutes." Chesca was peeking over the New Yorkers shoulder. Lou rolled her eyes and pushed Chesca back making her fall over onto the bed. The conversation was quick, confirming he would meet her in the lobby at 6.30am. She was excited to say the least; training with the Celtic warrior would be a day never to forget.

~#~

Katie lay in her hotel room nursing a headache that was growing with every syllable that left Brandi's mouth. She whipped around the room laying her stuff out everywhere. All Katie could see was a haze of bright fuchsia flashing back and forth in front of her – she'd never seen so much pink crap in her life.

"For God's sake don't you ever shut your trap?" She stopped dead in her tracks, her cerise covered lips forming a perfect 'O'; finally there was silence in the room – an awkward silence, but a silence nonetheless. The Englishwoman sighed; today was supposed to have been an amazing day filled with everything she'd ever wanted in a debut but it just couldn't be that easy. No matter how hard she tried, she wasn't able to shake the image of the egotistical Wade Barrett from her mind. His disgusting smirk, greasy slicked-backed hair and smug face; she was sick of the sight of him already.

As if on cue, there was a sharp knock at the door. Brandi opened the door to be faced with a rather suppressed Wade; he didn't say anything, only giving the Barbie the once over followed by a dirty look.

"I take it you're here to see Katie and not me," Brandi backed into the room and shot him a look over her shoulder, "she's in a pretty foul mood at the moment though. Perhaps this isn't that wise." Stu scoffed at the woman, holding back a laugh. She was telling him that the situation wasn't wise – she probably couldn't even spell the word 'wise', let alone comprehend it. The man had finally found out his rookie's first name, however, from the blonde bimbo of all people.

Katie got up from her bed and peered out into the living area, wondering who had bothered to visit. Her eyes narrowed to slits when she caught a glimpse of the visitor's tattoo. _Wonderful, more torment._ She walked out to meet him; Brandi excusing herself from the awkward situation after Wade had decided to insult her about how dumb she was.

"I think you owe me an apology, _Katie_." His voice was firm, his arms crossed over his chest.

"An apology for what, _Stu_?" She had a right mind to full-name her pro, undermining his apparent authority over her. Playing dumb had obviously rubbed off from staying in a room with Brandi; she was the master of being stupid after all. His arms dropped to his sides as he made his way over to her quickly, grabbing a hold of one of her wrists. "You know exactly what I want an apology for."

"Okay," Katie smiled sweetly as Stu loosened his grip on her, "I'm sorry you're such an arsehole." She wasn't going to give in easily, as much as he wanted to be the boss; he guessed that was as close to an apology as he was going to get from her. To her surprise, he let her go and looked down at her smirking.

"Gold's Gym, tomorrow morning, 6.30am." He ordered, backing away from her and making his way over to the door.

"I'll be there at 6am." She shouted out to him which earned her another smirk and a shake of his head before he left the room. When he'd gone, she groaned in frustration. Why did she have to say 6am? She loved to sleep; an extra 30 minutes would have done the trick for her ever-increasing headache. But no, she had to get the last word in; she needed to one up him. That was just her.

_-The Following Morning-_

Stu walked into Gold's Gym around 6.15am, he scouted around the area for Katie, spotting her jogging at a fairly fast pace on one of the treadmills, her back to him. He just watched her for a few minutes, the way her body bounced up and down every time her feet would connect with the apparatus, a light dusting of sweat forming on her back. A lump formed in his throat and he was quick to shake the thoughts from his mind – he hated the woman; he was supposed to be making her suffer.

Katie glanced over her shoulder, noticing her pro approaching her.

"You could have worn something more appropriate." Stu simply said in her direction. Trying to put her down this early wasn't going to sit right with her.

"Never seen a sports bra before, Barrett?" Katie smirked as she watched him drop his gym bag on a wooden bench, "I'm pretty sure that sports bras are more than appropriate for gym work." He was clearly still mad at her for assaulting him last night, sleeping it off hadn't worked; his groin ached like a bitch but he wasn't about to let her know that. He attempted to walk towards her without making it apparent that he was limping slightly. Peering over the front of the treadmill, he snapped his index finger out and pushed down on the button to increase the speed Katie was running at.

"What are you doing?" She asked, beginning to breathe heavier by the second. Her fitness was actually really good but the incessant stare down from Stu was making her uneasy and unable to cooperate properly.

"You think you can kick me in the bollocks and get away with it?" Her legs were moving at an almost supersonic pace as she tried her hardest to keep up with the speed. Her hands gripped onto the handles of the treadmill, her brow furrowing; his now intense glare seeping through her being. "Welcome to hell, sweetheart." He pushed another button and the treadmill stopped abruptly, sending Katie flying backwards and landing on her backside. A small yelp escaped her lips when the force of the fall caused her to smack her head against the wall. For a minute, she thought she saw a flash of regret in Stu's eyes; until, of course, he leered over her causing her to feel the size of a borrower. He slowly lowered his hand to her, Katie hesitant in grabbing onto his long fingers. Pulling her up half the way, he slipped his hand out of her grasp for her to fall back down again. An amused chuckle boomed out of him as she let out a frustrated groan and got up by herself, walking away from him and over to the weights.

~#~

Lou leant against the cold gold railing in the elevator, her eyes drifting shut as the elevator made its descent down to the lobby. It was 6.20am, she wanted to impress Stephen and being early would only put her in good stead. She was in a good mood despite being sleepy and receiving an earful from Chesca that morning. She had accidently knocked over some bottles of shampoo and body wash in the bathroom, robbing the half Italian from her last precious moments of sleep. Lou protested that she would be late to meet Stephen if she cleaned up the mess and escaped the hotel room just as Chesca threw a shoe at her which hit the back of the door.

Her blue eyes shot open as she felt the elevator stop, she tightened her grip on the Diane von Furstenberg canvas tote resting on her shoulder, 'Love is Life' written in cursive on the front. It was filled with the gym essentials; towel, water and iPod. Black sweat pants covered her legs and a grey cotton cropped vest showed off her stomach; the words _'Born to Ride'_ clear across the decorative embellishment on the front.

The blonde stepped into the lobby glancing around and seeing only a few hotel staff. She wasn't sure if she really expected to see Stephen here this early but she pushed those thoughts aside and made her way over to the large couches to the left of the hotel entrance. As soon as she sank into the soft cushions her eyes drifted shut again and she let out a breathy sigh.

"Sleeping on the job are yeh?" The strong Irish brogue swiftly dragged Lou out of her power nap; she stared up at Stephen who grinned back at her.

"I came early." She tried to defend her sleeping in the lobby.

"Don't worry; I don't have any sort of punishment thought out for yeh." He held out his hand to her which she gladly took. He helped her up from the couch then dropped her hand, his long strides took him towards the hotel entrance, "No time to waste, love." He glanced back at her and raised his brows; she hastily followed him being thrust head first into the life of a WWE superstar.

Out of the corner of her eye, Katie noticed Lou walking in with Stephen; both of them grinning from ear to ear. She grabbed an exercise ball and began working out with some weights whilst he left her to it, beginning his own routine. Meanwhile, she felt Stu standing close behind her, his hot breath ghosting down her neck.

"So, are you going to lift those weights or just stare at them all day?" She turned to him; he was unnaturally close, invading her personal space with that cocky smirk plastered on his smug face. "Come on, get to work."

Lou sat on a shiny silver exercise ball, her legs stretched out in front of her; feet planted square on the ground. Her legs burned and her arms ached as she lifted the small set of weights in her hands. She let out a breath, trying to keep her breathing steady. Stephen stood close by whilst he did his own workout, keeping an eye on her. He knew she was in good fitness, but he also knew he could get her to her prime. He watched her lift the weights, a thin sheen of sweat covering her smooth taut stomach. Though she tried to concentrate, her gaze kept landing on Stu and Katie. She knew Katie was pissed, that was more than obvious.

~#~

While busy cleaning up the mess Lou had left in the bathroom, Chesca blessed one of her previous jobs in her parents' restaurant: being a waitress had certainly improved her speed in mopping up puddles and putting things in order. Still in her pyjamas – a large size of Eddie Guerrero's "I'm Your Papi" t-shirt – she looked at her watch, 6.25 am, meaning it was too early for her meeting with Trips; the half Italian girl took the training outfit out the suitcase and slipped inside it after a quick shower she wore the Motörhead black tank top and a pair of grey sweatpants she had decided to use for the day. Still twenty minutes left, but Chesca decided to leave her room and go knock on her pro's door anyway; she was sure he wouldn't have minded seeing she was more than simply on time.

She walked up to where his suite was, he had told her the room number in case she needed something. Her heart jumped in seeing the number carved in the shiny golden plate; adjusting the rucksack on her shoulder, the rookie used a single firm knock on the door. Chesca was looking down the hallway as she heard the door swing open, making her turn her head to clash with the sight in front of her: Hunter stood in the doorway, wearing...well, he was wearing nothing but a towel around his large waist, drops of water tracing his tanned chest falling from his wet hair, and that irresistible smile on his lips.

"Am I late?" He talked first, leaning an elbow on the wooden doorframe; the girl felt her cheeks burning like hell as she tried her best not to scan his entire body.

"N-no," she finally replied after a couple of seconds, turning her head away and looking in his hazel eyes, "My roommate woke me up early so I had nothing to do and decided to..." Trips chuckled as he saw her visible embarrassment and took a step back inside the room, nodding in that direction.

"Oh never mind," Hunter said, already in the suite's corridor, "We'll get in the gym in a few minutes. Come in, I'll be ready in a heartbeat." Come in? Had her favourite wrestler of all time just invited her to get inside his room?

"I'll just wa-wait here, if you don..."

"I insist!" The familiar voice echoed from inside, sending a shiver down her spine. She carefully stepped inside, the scent of his bath foam filling the air, making her mind think about things she really shouldn't; the suite was definitely big, made up of a little living room just at the end of the corridor, and the bedroom attached to it. Chesca didn't even sit down, too nervous from being right where she was, and she just glanced around. She noticed the large gym bag lying near the table in the centre of the room, and something that looked like a folded shirt placed on it, along with keys, his phone, random fitness magazines and a DX baseball cap.

"Ready." He showed up after a few minutes, a grey wife beater and Adidas black sweatpants with white stripes on the sides; he took all of his things and put them in the bag, except for the shirt, which he held in his hand, and the cap, which he put on backwards on his head, looking kind of cute, too.

"Let's go then?" She shyly said to him, who nodded and picked up his bag; Chesca made her way back and went outside the room, and waited for the pro to follow her.

"Nice shirt, by the way." Once in the floor's hallway, closing the door behind him, Trips glanced at the girl's Motörhead top, pointing at it; then she handled the folded shirt he held to her, blushing and giving him a puzzled look.

"What's that?" She asked, taking it and opening it: a big smile widened on her features as she realized it was the new Triple H tee, with this big green, orange and yellow crowned skull, 'Rex Cranium' written on its side, "Is this...?"

"Yeah, a little present." He replied to her, gently placing a hand on her back and pushing her to the elevators, "Don't know, maybe you could wear it next time we're in the ring?" She folded the shirt again and asked him to put it in the rucksack on her shoulders.

"Of course I will."

She answered, the smile still plastered on her face, "Thanks...Paul." He winked at her, pleased she had called him with his first name: it meant that maybe she had overcome her shyness, discovering he wasn't that bad at all.

"Lou! Focus." Stephen shouted to her and she snapped her head in his direction. He sent her a stern look, wanting her to continue with her workout. Her instinct was to check if Katie was alright, she glanced to the lobby doors just as Chesca and Paul were walking through; more distance between them then necessary. She glanced up at Stephen, who now had his back to her, her eyes traced over his defined muscles before she literally shook her head stopping her from staring. She quietly placed the weights on the floor and rushed over to Chesca, wanting to vent her concerns for Katie.

"Ches!" The blonde grabbed Chesca's upper arms and shook her a little, completely ignoring the giant man next to her, "I think Katie was right about Stu."

"LOU!" She cringed as Stephen shouted her name again. She looked over her shoulder at Stephen expecting him to be giving her a disapproving look but he was staring at Paul who stood smirking back.

"Please keep an eye on Katie; I just want to make sure she's okay." She asked Chesca quickly before turning to look at Stephen again who was now beckoning her over with his finger. She smiled softly at Chesca before returning to Stephen, looking him up at down as she reached him.

"Go to the ring." He pointed to the empty ring, wanting her focused 110%.

Lou smirked at him as his gaze returned to Paul, "Yes master."

~#~

As soon as Lou had warned her to look after what that strange Englishman was doing with Katie, the half Italian woman just followed her pro where the punching bags were: her usual workout involved a lot of boxing, so she felt lucky that Trips had chosen to test her skills there.

"Let's see what you've got, Ches." The blonde man told her, after placing all the bags on a bench against the wall; Chesca put on her boxing gloves and smirked at the older man, watching as he put himself between the tall black punching bag, firmly holding it with his big hands, his bicep slightly flexed. After a deep breath, she put herself in the guard position, with a fist covering her face; she usually did that with heavy metal or hard rock music blasting her ears from her iPod, but she decided it would have been better to listen to The Game's tips and suggestions, that time: she was sure she had a lot to learn from him.

She charged the first punch and hit the bag, right over Trips' hand: he nodded, silently telling her to continue and find her rhythm; one after the other, she alternated punches and kicks, a thin layer of sweat slowly covering the crook of her neck, a few drops tracing her neck down to the valley of her chest. Hunter looked at her and her concentration, feeling the hits vibrating on the bag, admiring how focused she could get.

The girl went on with her practice: using high kicks, stretching both of her legs very high; she suddenly remembered what her blonde friend had told her, that was to keep an eye on Katie. She hit a first then a second kick, and momentarily turned her head to look at Barrett towering over the British woman, ordering her to do this, to do that, to do everything he wanted from her: she had probably imagined to kick the Nexus' leader's mug, because she suddenly used an extra dose of strength in doing it.  
What she heard though, was not her foot clashing with the leather of the bag, but with something else; something that spoke and that let a groan of pain come out after her hit. She had just kicked Triple H in the face.

"FUCK!" The girl even lost the balance on the leg she was standing, falling with her backside on the gym's wooden floor, but she got up in a flash, wanting to check on Trips' condition after her killer kick, "I'm a disaster, seriously! How...How are you?" The man was still on his feet, massaging one of his cheeks and shooting a glare at the girl; embarrassment and guilt at the highest levels ever.

"It's okay, girl." He said to her with a sigh, patting a hand on her shoulder, slightly gripping on her deltoid, "Just pay attention to what you do, huh?" He nodded at Stu and Katie, "They'll be fine."

Still all reddish and embarrassed, Chesca wiped the sweat off her forehead with her wristband, and went back behind the punching bag.

"You sure you don't wanna try some other training?" She asked him sheepishly; Trips laughed, shaking his head.

"I can handle a couple more kicks, don't worry." He smiled again, and invited her to start again.

~#~

"Stephen! LET GO!" Lou begged, breathless and wanting to be let out of the restraining submission hold Stephen had her in.

"This is why yeh need to work on yer flexibility; it wouldn't be so hard then." She groaned, he had proven his point. He let her go leaving her spread out on the mat, she sat up resting back on her hands as Stephen towered over her.

"Spread yer legs."

"Excuse me?" Lou's blue eyes were wide at his demand.

"Yeh need to stretch yeh hamstring muscles." Her mouth formed a perfect 'O' before she went about completing his request. She smirked as she showed Stephen just how flexible she actually was.

"Alright, yeh can get up now. We're done" She jumped up onto her feet, regretting it as a stitch of pain ran through the back of her right thigh. She winced slightly and gripped onto the top rope, Stephen rushed over to her; this is what she got for showing off, "Ah think yeh have cramp. Let me help yeh."

He crouched down next her and let his huge hands settle on her thigh, her grip on the rope tightened as he began rubbing the back of her thigh to try and ease the tension in the muscle. His long fingers worked into her skin, she could feel the heat radiating from him through the thin material of her sweatpants. He worked up the back of her thigh, the back of his hand slightly grazing the curve of her backside.

The sound of weights crashing to the floor stopped Stephen's actions. Lou whipped her head to where Stu and Katie were; a set of hand weights rolling along the floor. She looked at him apologetically before stepping out of the ring.

"How the fuck am I supposed to concentrate if you're fucking breathing down my neck?" Katie shouted at Stu, Lou hadn't seen her this mad since she accidently shrunk her favourite pair of jeans. Lou felt Stephen's hand on her shoulder as she approached the couple; Stu looked just as pissed as Katie.

"Well I wouldn't have to keep an eye on you if you were doing it right." He retaliated with equal force.

She scoffed at him, "How hard is it to lift a fucking dumbbell?"

His fists clenched at his sides, "You're driving me up the wall." He stared daggers into her, clearly being pushed to his limit.

"I'll drive this dumbbell up your arse in a minute." She pointed a slender finger at him. Stu stepped towards Katie, a smirk slowly appearing on his lips.

"You still haven't learnt have you?" His hands rested on his hips, only making him appear bigger.

"Why don't you cut her some slack?" Lou chimed in, she'd seen enough. Stu turned to the petite blonde, frowning at her input into the conversation.

"Or else?" He chuckled at her, clearly amused by her ill-advised comment.

"I'll kick you in the balls. I heard you like that." She grinned as Katie laughed, his face dropped; she'd hit a nerve.

"Maybe you should mind your own business." The tall Englishman stepped towards Lou, only for Stephen to move in front of her and gently push Stu back with his hand on his shoulder.

"Back off Bennett." Stu adhered Stephen's warning and turned back to Katie.

"Pick those up now." He pointed to the weights she had dropped only moments ago.

Stephen turned back to Lou, his features softened as he saw the look of concern for her friend written all over her face. His large arm wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her away from the drama. "She'll be fine, don't worry yehself."

Glancing over her shoulder quickly she saw Katie lifting weights again. Stu stood directly before her, arms crossed over his wide chest making sure she didn't put a foot out of line. Perhaps the Londoner was right about Stu, he was acting psychotic; and she was sure that he was the most possessive man she'd ever come across. At that moment, she thanked the Lord that she'd gotten Stephen as her pro; they were much more suited.

**A/N – Thanks Liloxbubbly, miamitravel, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx, LA Williams and Mew of Fire for the reviews. Also thanks to anyone who added to their favourite/alert list :D! We've changed from the original idea, instead of posting 3 separate chapters, posting one made more sense! Hope you enjoyed! **

**Lou, Katie and Chesca x**


	3. Have Your Cake And Eat It

**Chapter 3 - _Have Your Cake And Eat It_**

_-NXT Week 2-_

Chesca sat lacing up her wrestling boots, iPod on blast, ignoring everyone and everything around her. Katie and Lou glanced at each other as Brandi bounced past, her hair in rollers and a tube of pink lip gloss clutched in her hand. Chesca jumped up from the bench she was perched on, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet to get comfy in her wrestling boots. She smiled widely at Lou and Katie as she noticed them looking on.

"So, how's Stu?" Katie rolled her eyes at Lou's question; the annoyance was evident in her tone. She was still pretty pissed at how he spoke to her, and how he was treating one of her best friends.

"He's the same as always, being an absolute arse at every possible opportunity." A knock on the door echoed through the room.

"Katie!" Katie inwardly groaned as the low English accent rumbled through the locker room.

"Tell him to shove it." Katie wanted to heed Lou's advice, the show hadn't even started and already Stu was breathing down her neck. Her eyes darted around the room, checking everyone was decent before she walked over to the door. Her small hand gripped onto the cool metal handle, quickly pulling the door open so not give him another reason to degrade her. He gripped onto her arm and pulled his mouth close to her ear. "What have I told you about fraternising with the competition?" She looked up at him wearing a smirk but wide eyes, "Er, do it?"

"Do you really want to get into trouble with me?"

"Oh, what are you going to do? Punish me?" The room had stopped all activity and focused in on the pair in the doorway. "Please punish me, Barrett." Katie pouted, the sarcastic tone to her voice made him even angrier. A couple of the girls laughed until Stu sent the whole room a glare, shutting everyone up instantly. He turned his attention back to his rookie.

"Don't tempt me," he breathed, letting go of her arm and pointing to the room. "Get your shit together, we need a pep talk." Katie looked around the room suddenly forgetting where she put her gym bag; his intense stare was making it difficult to function slightly.

"It's important for you to remain focused," the tall man spoke again, Chesca opened her mouth as if she was speaking in his own voice, "Do you want to win this or not?" Katie snorted and kept on staring into his green orbs.

"Since when am I not even allowed to talk to someone who hasn't got a crooked nose, huh?" The Englishwoman snapped at him, the wrestler in the black and yellow shirt rolled his eyes and looked down at her, anger slowly taking over him. Suddenly the brunette rookie saw the girl from San Francisco making her pro's moves, moving her lips to match what he was saying to her, and she couldn't help but let a laugh go between her teeth.

Bennett lifted an eyebrow at the British rookie, and he turned his head: Hunter's rookie was making a fool out of him, wearing silly faces and mocking him for the girls' amusement; the death glare he shot her was enough to send a shiver down Chesca's spine, and to make the young woman use an innocent smile to fight her embarrassment for having been caught.

"Erm...I..." The half Italian girl stuttered, playing around with one of her brown locks as she slowly walked backward, "...Guess I'll go find Trips." Stu shook his head and pointed out at the hallway before he turned to face his own rookie again: so Katie wasn't the only one without any respect at all.

"You'll be travelling with me from now on," Stu told Katie as they walked to his locker room, his rookie lagging behind with her heavy gym bag resting uncomfortably on her shoulder. He looked back at her as she struggled, a smirk plastered on his face. "And when I say travelling, I also mean same hotel room. I have a feeling I'll need to keep my eye on you at all times."

"What do you think that I'll do? Call a hitman and have you taken care of?" To be perfectly honest, she would have no problems with doing that – if only she knew someone, she was sure that things would be a lot different. "Don't tempt _me_."

"I want you to get your head in the game," He opened up the door for her and pushed her inside his locker room, "Get dressed, we have to be out there soon."

"You better not come in whilst I'm changing."

"I'm a gentleman." Stu answered, his hand resting palm-down flat on his chest. That simple statement caused the woman to scoff as he closed the door and left her to it. He had the least gentlemanly qualities of anyone she had met in the industry and now he wanted her with him during the entire NXT process? She could tell that Stu was waiting outside the door, his back leaning against the wall, arms folded across his broad chest. There was just no hope that the pair would get along; the closer proximity would be tougher to take than anything Katie had already endured.

~#~

Chesca rolled her neck, stood in front of her pro like she was getting ready to box. The pros were about to be seated at the top of the ramp. Stu stood staring at his rookie, arms across his chest and an apathetic expression across his features. Of course the gossip of his possessive hold on his rookie had spread around backstage like wildfire; not only on NXT, but also on RAW.

Katie glanced at Chesca; Paul was showering her with encouraging words and getting her hyped up for the evening. Lou stood with her back to Stephen, whispering into her ear as he rubbed her shoulders; she'd been cursed with a neck problem all week. Katie couldn't help but feel a pang of jealously run through her body as she watched her best friends get on so well with their pros.

A hand on her shoulder brought Katie out of her daze, her eyes found Stu's; "Don't fuck it up out there." With that he was ushered away from her and out onto the curtains as his music played through the arena. She gritted her teeth as she watched him walk away from her, she was pretty sure she would kill him by the end of the week.

Stephen turned the blonde in his arms around, his hands firmly placed on both of her shoulders. Squeezing lightly he offered her a reassuring smile, "Be careful out there, Ah don't want yeh hurting yeh neck anymore."

All of the rookies were accumulated at the top of the ramp, Matt Striker silencing the audience with his next words, "Ladies, it's time for the challenge." That was obvious; an obstacle course was set up around the ring, "This will test your balance and co-ordination. Arabella, you won the last challenge so you're up first." Katie stepped forward; glancing over her shoulder at Stu perched on his stool, the clipboard in his large hands being gripped hard.

The obstacles looked easy enough to conquer; a small wall to clamber over, rubber tyres to run through, a long balance beam down the right side of the ring and then finishing by reaching the top of the ramp – all the while carrying a huge cake covered in extra frosting. Katie smiled when she picked up the chocolate cake, ready to begin the balancing challenge. She leant forward, smelling the confection – cheap frosting; what a perfect opportunity to embarrass Wade Barrett.

"The timer will begin when you cross the line marked out on the ramp. Whenever you're ready..." Striker's words were always so full of bounce it annoyed the hell out of her; then again everyone was becoming irritating to her after being stuck with Stu. Walking away from her pro, she crossed the line and the timer began ticking. Her movements were surprisingly cautious; her step over the small wall was dainty, making sure that her feet were planted firmly on the other side of it until she moved on. A light jog to the sea of tyres wasn't easy with the cake gripped in both of her hands. Nevertheless she tackled them with minimal effort, moving around the steel steps the stand on the balance beam. Most of the crowd were making encouraging noises to spur the Englishwoman on; they were really getting into the atmosphere, some gasped where the cake began to tilt on the platter she was holding on to. Luckily for Katie, she had been able to manoeuvre her way across it carefully without any disasters. As she attempted to run up the ramp she spotted the usual glare from Madison, the amused faces of Chesca and Lou, and then Stu rising from his stool, placing the clipboard where his backside should have stayed. He stared her down as she reached the top half of the ramp, walking over to her briskly in an effort to hurry her along. All of a sudden, she slipped on the ramp; the cake flew forwards landing on Stu's bare tanned torso. The crowd were going mad, watching the anger unfold on his features. The clock was still ticking but Katie could care less; she stood there having a right old giggle with everyone else at the chocolate mess on his body. Stu gritted his teeth, seething from his rookie's actions. He grabbed onto her arm, dragging her the rest of the way up the ramp and behind the curtain.

"Seeing as Arabella did not cross the finish line with the cake she is disqualified." Striker's words sounded throughout the arena, fading behind the backstage curtain where Stu had pulled Katie aside for the second week in a row.

"You think this is funny?" She smirked when he shouted at her with all the viciousness he could muster; he was really pissed at her. Even though she had planned this whole fiasco to a degree she still couldn't believe that he'd get so upset by it. He was acting hilarious.

"Don't blame me if you got in the way of my cake." Katie breathed impatiently, dragging a slim delicate finger up his abdominals to cover it in chocolate frosting, putting it in her mouth and sucking to get the flavour. She could have sworn he shivered slightly under her touch. He watched her through narrowed eyes when she pulled her finger out of her hot mouth, the chocolate had completely disappeared. She leaned into him, whispering mockingly, "Delicious. Just delicious."

"I'm going to get cleaned up," he spoke lowly; she had embarrassed him that was for sure. "And how about you don't follow me?"

"But I thought you wanted to keep an eye on me at all times?" Her innocent demeanour really got to Stu; she really loved to play around with him. He was beginning to think that he had met his match.

"I don't have time for your stupid games, Katie." He shouted back at her, halfway down the corridor. Katie had half a mind to follow him and get completely under his skin. He'd get what was coming to him though.

"Let's move on," Striker spoke out to the arena, carrying on the challenge, "Madison, you're up next."

Madison smirked at the crowd, knowing that it would be easier to win the challenge with her rival out of the picture; disqualified and in trouble with her pro. Her own pro, Maryse, was sat on her stool one leg crossed over the other. She clearly wasn't moving from the spot she was in; everyone knew she wouldn't risk getting her Gucci dress covered in the confection the rookies were carrying around. The woman tackled every obstacle with grit; she wanted to win this challenge to get another victory on her score sheet after last week's impressive match against Brandi. She crossed the line having completed the challenge in a fast time of 38 seconds.

Lou stood rearing and ready to go; the cake perched in the centre of her hand. Years of waitressing in bars to work towards her dream were now paying off. She set off down the ramp, knowing the time was passing by quickly. She hopped over the small wall, hitting the ground a little too awkwardly as the cake almost slid off her hand. She recovered quickly stepping through each of the tyres with ease as the cake was grasped in both hands. She glanced up at the titantron, checking the time. Carefully she placed a foot on the balance beam; this was where she was bound to fail. Though a little slower than she hoped; she made it across the balance beam, cake still intact. She eyed the ramp, sprinting up as quickly as she could. She let out a breath, glad that she'd made it back alive. Immediately she was greeted by Stephen who picked her up and hugged her after she had put down the cake. She was in the lead with a speedy time of 33 seconds.

Brandi was up next, the blonde stood jumping on the spot and cheering at the crowd. The cake didn't look steady; Lou and Chesca eyed each other knowing this wasn't going to end pretty for Brandi. She ran down the ramp on her toes, her sense of balance nonexistent with those air bags for boobs. She jumped over the small wall; the almost athletic jump was followed by a loud screech and the cake flying through the air. The titantron captured the moment Brandi followed the cake, her face a picture just before it hit the chocolate frosting. She eventually climbed up using the barrier, wiping frosting from her face. She ran back up the ramp, crying with embarrassment; much to the amusement of the other rookies and their pros who were hastily writing down notes on their clipboards. Striker attempted to hide his laughter also, trying to speak into the microphone to let everyone know that Brandi was, of course, disqualified. A clear was in operation as they went for a commercial break, so as not to hinder the next competitor's chances of victory; it was also fortunate that they had spare cakes.

Chesca was told she was the next to take on the obstacle course. She glanced at her pro who offered her a thumbs up before gesturing for her to take hold of the cake and get going. The timer began as soon as she crossed the line. The half Italian tackled each of the obstacles admirably but unfortunately wasn't quick enough to beat her New Yorker friend.

"Ooh, 35 seconds. Not good enough to beat Liberty this time around, Titiana."

She moseyed back up to the top of to be greeted by a hug from Paul. She couldn't help but feel that even though she hadn't won the challenge, she had won praise from Triple H anyway.

"Finally, Angelina step forwards, please. The time to beat is 33 seconds, whenever you're ready..."

Angelina smirked as she picked up the cake, wobbling on the platter indecisively. She wanted to get this over and quickly at that. It was pretty close once she had reached the balance beam, roughly equal on time with Lou whilst she concentrated on walking in a straight line with a huge cake balanced in her hands. If she dropped it, she wouldn't have been able to forgive herself; what happened to Brandi seemed totally humiliating. Hilarious for onlookers; but humiliating for the rookie. Angelina tried her hardest to make it up the ramp hastily in order to become the winner of the stupid challenge but it was ultimately too slow. She had finished in a time of 37 seconds.

"And the winner of the Obstacle Course Challenge is Liberty with a time of 33 seconds!" Lou didn't care that she was jumping up and down like a fool. It was a ridiculous thing to win but it was win nonetheless. Stephen patted her on the shoulder, staring down at her with a huge, dazzling grin on his face. He was chuffed that she had began to make an impact already, racking up two wins on the trot.

~#~

The three friends stood on the apron, staring at their prey at the opposite side of the ring; easy prey at that. The trio were going to take them down; quick and simple. All six of the pros were situated on the mats that surrounded the squared circle, prepping their respective rookies about the main event six-woman tag match that was about to commence on the show. They conspired at the corner they were stood at, deciding who should be first to perform. Angelina stepped between the second and bottom rope, wiggling her backside as she did so. The referee motioned for the other team to hurry up and pick who would start; Lou volunteering to beat down the Cleveland native. She stole a glance at her Irish pro before stepping through the yellow ropes to face her opponent; the quick nod he offered her in return was enough to boost her confidence. Words of encouragement from Chesca and Katie blended into the heated atmosphere as the referee signalled for the start of the match.

It didn't take long for Lou's skills to take hold on Angelina who had very little wrestling experience. She was the type of 'wrestler' who was actually just a model; the New Yorker couldn't stand that as well as most of the other true professionals. Determined to send her back to the Indies where she belonged, Lou floored her with a brutal clothesline and tagged in the raring Katie, who was extremely feisty this evening having had another intense conversation with her pro.

Lou looked down at Stephen who was stood by the apron next to her, his large hands planted firmly on the mat. She followed his stare to Paul who was giving advice to Chesca. She heard Stephen scoff and push himself away from the ring; she was utterly unprepared for his next words directed at Paul.

"Ah don't think yeh little words will help this tart." Lou smirked at Ches trying to keep in character but clearly bemused as to what was going on around her. She knew they had an unsettled feud, but she didn't know how much the tension had built since Paul's untimely departure.

Chesca jumped down from the apron as Paul started to move towards where Stephen was mouthing off at him. She placed a friendly hand on his bicep, a simple gesture to try and stop the situation from escalating. He shook her off, not once breaking eye contact with the cocky Irishman staring him down. Lou was torn between the action in the ring and the drama outside of the ring, Katie was clearly dominating even though Stu was pounding her with an array of words from the apron. Her head snapped back to the drama unfolding close to her as she heard her ring name being used.

The Englishwoman's in-ring character of Arabella was sadistic and ruthless, at least now she understood partly why she had been paired with Stu. Madison now stood in the ring, locked up in a grapple with her enemy. Stu remained outside the ring with the other pros, and now Lou and Chesca who had been attempting to defuse a situation beginning to appear between their adamant pros. He turned his attention to the action of his rookie, nodding slightly as she took down Madison in a classic, textbook wrestling manoeuvre. Katie whipped her into the corner, planting her with a running knee to her face; she glanced over momentarily at the chatter happening down on the mats and then to Stu who began banging down with a firm hand on the apron to hurry her along. He pointed a finger to his temple a couple of times, instigating that she should think of her next move quickly before Madison could get her breath back. For goodness sake, the woman wasn't stupid. She managed to lift her personal old-time enemy on top of the turnbuckle, climbing on afterwards with minimal effort to perch behind her. Wrapping her legs around hers was no mean feat; the amount of baby oil this bitch used was ridiculous. Never the less Katie locked her arms around Madison's waist and flipped her to the floor in a very advanced spider suplex manoeuvre. Stu shouting at her to cover was something she had become accustomed to, and she decided to actually obey him this time but only getting to a count of two. She had a right mind to argue with the referee for that decision, Stu was certainly voicing his opinion and it was in favour of his rookie for once.

It was becoming a challenge to focus on what was going on during the matchup due to the amount of hostility building between the Celtic Warrior and the Cerebral Assassin outside the ring. Stephen ran his tongue along his bottom lip before a smirk spread across his features.

"Yeh don' need to play the fool, fella," Stephen began taking a step closer to Paul who had now taken the decision to shield Chesca behind him. "The entire universe knows what's been goin' on between the two o' yeh." The half Italian had never been so offended. How dare he accuse her of being a homewrecker? There was absolutely nothing going on between her and her pro; their relationship was strictly professional. Lou jumped down from the apron and squeezed in the gap between Stephen and Paul, deciding it was best for her to intervene. She placed a hand on his chest in an attempt to push the wall of muscle away from the veteran. Stephen reached around her, pointing and throwing insults causing Paul to become even more irate than before. His nostrils flared and his brow furrowed as he stared down the Irishman; he refused to listen to his feeble attempts at pointing out his flaws. It was only when he carried on insulting his rookie that he couldn't stand for it anymore.

There was no going back from the chaos that was about to break out before the WWE Universe. Stephen gripped on to Lou's arm, his fingers digging into the skin on her bicep painfully as the incessant stare down continued between the two men. They had been waiting to get at each other for months and even though the timing was terrible a brawl was about to ensue. In his anger, Stephen forcefully shoved Lou out of the way causing her to crash straight into the steel steps that led to the ring. Her body fell heavily onto the metal with an almighty thud, dead weight now lying on the mat by the barricade. Even through his blind rage, Stephen turned his attention to his rookie, who seemed to be knocked out by the fall and rubbed a hand over his face to try and hide his horror.

The distraction served as opportunity for The Game. He delivered an axe handle right between Stephen's shoulder blades, eliciting a grunt from the Irishman as he dropped to his knees from the sheer force. Chesca could only look on as her pro began punching Lou's pro repeatedly, alternating between his head and midsection to wear the man down quicker. Stephen grabbed fistfuls of Paul's shirt and drove his body into the exposed turnbuckle, allowing him room to breathe. Getting to his feet, the man wiped over his mouth, his lip had been completely split open from the punches he had suffered. As Paul fell to the floor, he reached underneath the ring to retrieve his prized weapon of choice: the sledgehammer. Holding it firmly in his taped up hands, he waited for Stephen to turn again before he attacked him with frustrated blows to his already battered midsection. The Irishman would have been lucky not to have cracked or broken a rib from the force of the weapon to his body. Chesca had moved well away from the situation as various referees and officials sprinted to the ring in an effort to pry the sledgehammer off a frenzied Cerebral Assassin. His eyes had glazed over like he was in a trance of some kind; when he was like this, it was a challenge to get him to willingly disappear backstage.

Meanwhile in the ring, Katie had just gotten another near-fall, trying her damned hardest to ignore the activity going on in front of her. Stu kept yelling at her to remain focused, surprised that he wasn't part of a beat down for once. Madison didn't have a chance throughout to tag in Brandi or Angelina, she was stuck in a battle with Katie and she knew that she was fast losing. An extraordinary occasion for the Brit, she would be able to showcase her finishing manoeuvre for the first time on international television. She whipped her opponent into the ropes and kicked her in the stomach in order to make her keel over, clutching her middle. Then once she had gained her composure, Katie stood so Madison's head was between her legs and swiftly lifted her in the air, slamming her to the canvas in similar fashion to the infamous Batista Bomb. Stu pushed himself off of the apron and crossed his arms over his broad chest, watching his rookie pick up a very impressive win over her rival. He grabbed hold on the top rope, pulled himself up onto the apron and stepped into the ring. His stare was intense, Katie expected him to be like this – to not bat an eyelid for her showcase. The next thing he did completely shocked her, however. The Englishman reached for her right wrist, raising it high in the air to celebrate the victory. Katie looked at him like he had grown two heads; this man that she hated was giving her recognition for a win? What the hell had gotten into him?

Matt Striker's voice had decided to make itself known, interrupting the Katie's glory. "Ladies and gentleman that is all we have time for tonight. Make sure you tune in next week for our first elimination; which of our Diva rookies will be going home?"

~#~

Lou sat with an icepack held to her neck, the throbbing not subsiding even with the painkillers. She glanced around the white medical room, the smell of antiseptic turning her stomach slightly. Tim the medic had left her a few minutes ago to deal with Brandi who was complaining of a sprained ankle; Lou only hoped that much was true. Her head shot to the door as she heard the handle turn. Her expression didn't falter as Stephen poked his head around; he looked remorseful to say the least. Trying to judge her reaction he stilled for a moment, before bowing his head slightly and walking into the room. Sheepishly he shuffled over to her, his hands dug into the pockets of his sweatpants. His usual milky skin was stained red on his chest; her eyes travelled upwards towards his busted lip. She couldn't help but think he got what he deserved.

"Lou, Ah'm really sorry –" She held her hand up stopping him from furthering his apology.

"I don't want to hear it right now." Her head was still spinning; all she wanted was to get a shower and rest.

"Please?" Her eyes caught his, she was a goner. She sighed and nodded for him to continue. "Ah let me anger get the better o' me." He stopped for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. He ran a hand over his face, forgetting about his busted lip for a second. He hissed in pain and grimaced, he knew he had messed up.

"You're an idiot." Stephen rubbed the back of his neck nervously; he desperately needed to make it up to his rookie, "I think you might have to beg for forgiveness. On your knees, king."

Lou wanted to laugh at his shocked expression, but she needed to keep face, "Yer being serious?"

"Deadly." She pointed to the ground, not once breaking her determined stare. She watched on as Stephen dropped a heavy knee to the hard lino covered floor. He glanced up at her pleadingly; his puppy eyes weren't working on her this time.

"Ah'm sorry, love." He rested one of his big hands just above her knee and squeezed reassuringly. It was a risk placing a hand on the blonde, but she hadn't kicked him in the face so far, "Ah'll make it up to yeh."

"You can buy me room service tonight." Lou's demands came quick and fast, "And I might have a concussion so you can stay awake with me. Katie and the girls are going out."

"Anything yeh want." Lou grinned; she might just take him up on that offer.

**A/N – Thank you miamitravel, hOtlilmofo, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx, Mew of Fire, LA Williams, Konoshy, Chelsea, kimcooperx and alyssaanne for the fantastic reviews. Sorry for the very long delay in updating, hope we didn't disappoint!**


	4. Nothing Is What It Seems

**Chapter 4 – **_**Nothing Is What It Seems**_

Stu glanced down at his watch impatiently. His rookie had gotten to their hotel room some minutes after him, carrying both of their luggages with her. She was getting annoyed with his abuse of power, becoming his lackey was not part of the contract on NXT; everyone else was probably getting along great with their pros but she was turning into more of a slave to hers. They had fought over the bed in the room, only one king-sized bed was situated and there was also a small couch in front of it; Stu, of course, was adamant of taking the bed. Katie called into question his gentlemanly qualities that he so eloquently raved about, self-indulgently obviously.

It was early evening and everyone had planned to go to one of the local nightclubs. Stu was ready to go in his dark denim jeans and a faint blue buttoned down shirt; his rookie however was still sorting herself out. He groaned, patience wearing thin.

"Will you bloody hurry up?"

"Oh, calm your tits. I'm almost done." Katie replied, sauntering out of the bathroom fully dressed in her strapless violet twill dress by Juicy Couture, the length of it left her to seem rather promiscuous. Stu sucked in a breath as she bent over to grab her heels and put them on; he knew that he shouldn't have done so because it had suddenly got a lot hotter in the room. He clamped his eyes shut, attempting to think of anything else but the lace panties that were momentarily on display. It should have made him feel vulgar; however it just didn't register that way. He shook his head with the recollection of her voice.

"Right, how do I look?"

He raked his eyes over her, quickly, not wanting to give any of his surprising and unwanted thoughts away. "You look...fine."

"That's the best I'm going to get out of you, isn't it?" He screwed up his face, grabbing his wallet, keycard and phone. "Then I'll take it, I don't care."

"Come on then."

"Actually I'm meeting Chesca." Katie smirked, picking up her clutch bag. "Sorry to disappoint you, boss."

Now he was peeved; she had made him wait all that time just to tell him that they weren't even entering the club together. He refused to show off his anger, breathing deeply and turning once he reached the door. His low brogue sounded over his shoulder. "Suit yourself."

_~#~_

Stephen being a true gentleman kept his promise and then some. He carried Lou's suitcase up to her room before returning to his own; a shower and change of clothes were needed first. Lou sat down on her bed watching Chesca rake through her suitcase, her finger tapping on her nose deep in thought.

"Need help?" The New Yorker asked, bringing Chesca out of her daydream. She rooted through her suitcase a little longer before pulling out a black dress followed by a blue one. Lou's eyes immediately settled on the blue Hervé Léger dress, glowing with want. "Definitely the blue one, you'll be turning heads instead of knocking them off." She stuck her tongue out as Chesca held the dress against her body, still undecided.

"Are you sure?"

"Couldn't be surer!" Lou smiled, reassuring her friend.

"Thank you. Are you going to be okay? I mean, I know Stephen is coming but if you want me to stay with you I don't mind."

"God no, you have fun. Plus I want to make the poor man suffer." Lou wiggled her eyebrows at Chesca who grimaced in response, she felt sorry for the Irishman now. Chesca left the blonde and headed for the bathroom with towel and toiletries in hand, after a very refreshing shower she slipped into her dress.

A knock on the door surprised Lou; it couldn't have been Stephen, not this early. She was by no means ready for him to see her. She took a breath, letting in out upon hearing her English friend's voice on the other side of the wood.

"Girlies let me in!"

The door was opened to a very made up Katie. Her hair was down and slightly wavy, her face was flawless without any lines or blemishes; the make-up she wore was dramatic and eye-catching. Her black liquid eyeliner flicked outwards to form a sort of cat eye effect, perhaps a foreshadowing of the type of woman she felt like being tonight. She greeted her New Yorker friend with a friendly hug and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Ooh, cute shoes." Lou observed as Katie crossed her legs. She couldn't argue with that; her Miu Miu black suede peep-toe pumps were a certain fashion statement and they complimented her striking purple dress perfectly.

"Thanks, how long has Ches been in the bathroom for?"

"Just doing my make-up, guys." Her shouts were muffled through the closed door.

The two friends grinned at each other and spoke in unison. "Alright."

"So I heard you're not coming out with us tonight?"

Lou leaned back on the bed, clutching her knees to her chest to get more comfortable. "Nope, Stephen is staying back with me. He owes me one."

"Oh yeah, he owes you one alright."

"How can you make everything said sound really dirty?"

"It's just who I am, my friend."

They turned their attention from their giggles when their half-Italian friend emerged from the bathroom, all ready to go. She gave them a twirl as she checked herself in the large mirror adjacent to them. "Okay, what do you think?"

"You look gorgeous, Ches."

"Yeah, guys will be falling at your perfectly-pedicured feet."

"Awesome, let's get down there!"

"It's party time!" Katie shouted before Chesca grabbed her hand, pulling her up from the bed. They turned back to their New Yorker friend who was staring back at them with wide, glossy eyes. "Have fun getting it on with Stephen, you jammy little thing."

Lou bit her lip briefly ahead of sending them the goofiest smile she could muster. Nothing would stop any of them from having fun tonight.

_~#~_

Katie and Chesca sat at the bar after the NXT and Smackdown taping, sipping their cocktails and minding their own business when a man in a suit approached them. He seemed very out of place in a swanky club like this; he leant his forearm on the surface of the bar and smirked at the women having a deep conversation without acknowledgement. Katie sighed quietly, she knew that her dress was going to get her noticed; being sat on a barstool meant she was showing off a significant amount of leg. He cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Hey gorgeous, what do you say I buy you a drink?"

"Erm, no thanks, I'm good." Katie replied, holding up her Cosmopolitan before then taking another swig. She couldn't quite place his accent but from the looks of him it seemed he was some kind of corporate from the East Coast. Businessmen like that didn't impress her in the slightest; she was more the rough and tumble type.

He rubbed a hand on his clean-shaven jaw, refusing to give in. "Another drink after that then?"

She immediately interjected, not up for anyone's shit tonight. "I said no thanks."

"Say, you're pretty feisty." The sleaze wasn't letting up, every word more and more vulgar and suggestive than the last. "Wouldn't mind testing you out in my bed or up against a wall, you look pretty naughty. The British always are from what I've heard."

"Testing me out?" Katie scoffed, feeling very offended by his use of sexual terms. She turned to Chesca next to her as her finger traced the rim of her cocktail glass. Obviously her half-Italian friend had lost her tongue; there would be no back up from her any time soon. She shook her head, her eyes finding Stu's, who quickly averted his line of sight to stare at the host of alcoholic beverages on display at the bar. Taking a breath in the hope of calming herself down slightly, Katie looked back at the man sending her a nod complete with a cheesy grin. "Seriously, do you have a hearing problem? Leave us alone."

"Last time I checked it was a free country." She rolled her eyes, not quite understanding what he was insinuating. He really was stupid if he thought he would get anywhere with her; he had no idea of personal space either as he leant closer, stroking a finger down the exposed skin on her arm. Chesca stared between her English friend and Stu, who was watching the come-on from the other side of the bar. He looked angry and she wasn't sure why he seemingly cared so much. She presumed they were supposed to be hating on each other after the amount of tension between them.

"Look, you're laying the charm on a bit thick. I'm flattered but I'm just not interested so if you don't mind, we're going to go. Come on Ches." She jumped down from the barstool, dragging Chesca with her; the half-Italian's Hervé Léger navy-blue bandage dress slipping down her thighs as she was pulled away from the bar entirely without another word.

Stu took a long gulp of his beer, smirking at his rookie's actions. He shook his head, regarding how she had completely owned the man who now stood alone at the bar. He had to admit, he admired her front; but it was only a matter of time before she would show her vulnerability, he was sure of that. Maybe a few stern words from the 6 ft 5", 260 pound English wrestler would warn that sleaze off her for good. He sat for a moment, considering why he felt the need to defend her when they never even got along; if he was sensible he probably would have paid the man to keep bothering her throughout the night. Something about him didn't want to be so heartless, however. Picking up his bottle of beer, he walked around to where the girls had been thirty seconds ago.

"Looks like you got shot down there; what a shame."

The man turned his back to the bar, leaning his elbows on the counter, surveying the dance floor. He obnoxiously spoke as if the whole club was listening to him. "Whatever man, they always come back to me, especially the lively ones."

"Well she won't be coming back to you so don't even try, alright?"

"What's stopping me from going after that piece? Are you her boyfriend or something?"

"Not even close." Stu defended quickly, "But if you don't leave her alone, I won't be responsible for my actions."

"Are you threatening me?"

"It looks that way, doesn't it?" He laughed when the man started chuckling with him then stopped abruptly to silence him; the sudden urge to protect his rookie was overwhelming. Stu placed his beer down, leaning closer to the man to speak lowly in his ear. Threats needed to be done ruthlessly and this guy was looking at the master. "Consider this your warning. If I catch you anywhere near her you'll be eating food through a straw for the rest of your life. Do I make myself clear?"

The man laughed again, placing a couple of dollar bills on the countertop before picking up his bottle of beer. He turned to Stu, a good five or six inches smaller than the wrestler. He had to give it to him; he wasn't as intimidated as he should have been. "Crystal clear." He muttered, walking away from the bar to the other side of the dark club.

_~#~_

Lou glanced around the empty hotel room, she did want to go out but she needed to rest more than anything. The knock on the door sounded ten times louder than usual, she needed more tablets. She quickly padded over to the door taking a quick glance in through the peep hole before slowly pulling the door open. Stephen stood with his hands in his sweatpants pockets, a tight black t-shirt stretched over his hard muscles. He smiled sheepishly at her, still ashamed by his earlier actions.

"How're ya, love?" His eyes scanned over her frame; light wash skinny jeans covered her long legs, a worn New York Giants cropped top covered her chest. This was a side of her he hadn't yet seen.

"Hey." Lou stepped back to allow his large frame to brush past her and into the hotel room. She caught his spicy aftershave as he walked past, his red hair a shade darker; still damp from the shower.

"Are yeh feeling any better, lass?"

Lou subconsciously rubbed the back of her neck, her muscles ached and the pain wouldn't subside, "I've been better."

She saw a flash of regret pass through his eyes, "Ah'm sorry Lou. Ah should be setting a better example for yeh."

"I know you were angry, but I was just trying to stop you."

"Ah know that now, Ah was in a blind rage. Ah just hope yeh can forgive me and Ah can earn yeh trust again." He watched on as Lou returned to sit on the edge of the bed in front of him after shutting the hotel door, "We need trust to work together."

Lou nodded as Stephen ran a hand over his face, rubbing his facial hair; "I still trust you."

"Yeh do?" Surprise was evident in his tone. She nodded patting the empty space next to her. He hesitated slightly before sitting down, the bed dipping due to his weight.

"I know you're putting your spare time into helping me, and I appreciate that so much. Thank you." She didn't expect to be thanking him after what had transpired that evening.

"Yeh more than welcome, yeh've got a lot of talent and potential, lass. Ah'm lucky to be working wit' yeh." His large hand landed on her jean covered thigh, squeezing lightly. She glanced at his big hand, strong and manly; she wondered what things he could do with them, other than beating people up. She placed her small hand over his, emphasising just how big his hand was before pulling it away from her thigh.

"How about we order room service? I'm starving!"

"Ah guess this is my treat."

"I think it's only fair." She grinned at him as he stood up from the bed.

"Yeh make yerself comfortable then." He pointed to the plump pillows at the head of the bed, they looked very inviting. She was pretty sure that if she were to lie on the bed then she would fall asleep before the food got to the room.

_~#~_

As the night went on, Stu merely observed his surroundings but, for some reason, always came back to Katie. He wasn't sure why he was so drawn to her, something about her just called to him. He downed the last of his third beer and eyed the creep still mingling in the corner of the club, switching looks between Stu and Katie who was sat chatting with Chesca. She giggled as he approached their table and sipped on her vodka-based beverage; it must have been her fifth of the evening. A noticeable shadow covered the wooden booth when he reached it, causing the girls to glance up through the darkness.

Stu wasted no time in pushing himself next to his rookie, smirking at her. "Hey, we need to talk strategy for next week."

"What, right now?" Katie looked at Chesca, whose eyes were now darting about the room, trying to avert from the conversation. "No, it's okay. I'll stay here."

"Yes, right now. Come on." He gripped her arm with a bruising force; she stared at him, attempting to shrug him off.

"Do you bring work everywhere with you? Why don't you just relax? Loosen up Stewie." She pointed to the dance floor, full of people swaying to the music. "Go and have a dance or something."

"I don't dance. Now I'm serious, get up."

"No, for fuck's sake." She snapped, staring him down and struggling against his grip on her arm. "Honestly, just leave me alone."

"Believe me, lass, Ah knou' he can be delicate when he wants." Both the girls hadn't heard that unfamiliar brogue before. The figure that had just spoken had appeared from out of nowhere, towering over the table at which the two rookies and the cocky pro were sitting; it was a tall man, with long hair tightened in a low ponytail, wearing a white and light green dress shirt over a very simple pair of dark denim jeans, a bottle of Tennent's held between two of his long fingers.

Katie raised an eyebrow at the new guy, taking advantage of the fact Stu had been distracted to get away from his grip; Chesca looked at him with curiosity, her eyes screamed nothing but 'I know you, but I'm too mesmerized to remember your name right now'.

"Drew," The English wrestler said, immediately standing up and pulling the man in for a friendly hug. "You try and tell this lady I'm a true gentleman?" He nodded at the British woman, who rolled her eyes and brought a hand to her mouth.

"In your dreams." She faked a cough and turned her head to talk to the half-Italian girl, who chuckled and took a sip from the glass of Cuba Libre tightly held in her right hand. As Bennett and the man she had recognized as the Scottish wrestler Drew McIntyre exchanged a couple of words, Chesca tried to look at his features: the light and cured facial hair on his jaw line framed the tanned skin of his face, and in the darkness of the local his eyes were two black pits with a shiny sparkle in them; actually, she tried to resist his stare as he noticed her, giving her a soft smile that she replied to, doing her best not to blush.

Katie pushed her elbow in her side and smirked at her; she also internally smiled at the fact the girl from San Francisco just couldn't help not showing all of her feelings.

"Birds, this is my good friend Drew Galloway." Stu surrounded the Scotsman's shoulders with an arm, "This is my rookie Katie, and Trips' former rookie...?" Stu pointed to the half-Italian girl, who scoffed and brushed a hand through her wavy brown hair, looking directly in Drew's orbs without caring about the Nexus leader.

"Chesca." She stretched her arms to shake his hand, and he gently squeezed it; the umpteenth smile climbing on his lips sent her mind to the gutter as he came under the soft light above their table.

"You don't mind if Drew keeps you company whilst I talk to Katie, do you, Chester?" Stu watched the exchange between the half-Italian rookie and his own. Katie was pleading with her not to let him take her away, especially now he had insulted her name.

"It's Chesca."

Katie spoke up. "Yeah and also, I told you to leave me alone tonight."

"It's important."

"Sure it is." Her sarcasm was starting to piss him off; he ran a hand over his face ready to leave her be, feeling defeated. That was until Chesca interjected, smiling when Drew took a seat next to her in the booth.

"Go on, Kate. I don't mind if Drew sits here with me."

She groaned, giving in finally. "A quick word then you go elsewhere and mind your own bloody business." She shuffled out of the booth and followed him to a quieter part of the club near the cloakroom. Tapping her foot impatiently on the floor, her heels clicked in unison with her fingers drumming against her folded arms. "So, what is it?"

"You did well tonight in your match." Stu said, lowly. "But don't let it go to your head. There's still a lot of work to be done; hard work at that."

"I know that, what's your point?"

"It's a reminder. Don't let those 'friends' of yours distract you." He nodded over to where Chesca sat, laughing along with one of his best friends.

"This is the most pointless conversation I think I've ever had."

"I just fucking praised you! For Christ's sake, forget I said anything. And don't expect any praise from me in the future, either."

"Fine, whatever. I'm going to get some fresh air." She pushed her way past him and walked out of one of the fire exits to cool down.

_~#~_

Drew sighed and shook his head at his English best friend before coming back to look at the young woman on his left; she was holding the tall glass in her hand, staring down at the ice cubes. The rookie couldn't help but not find anything good in Katie's pro but still she decided to forget about him and just think about something else.

"He's not that bad," the Scot said, getting closer to her ear so she could hear him. "If ye let go all the times he behaves like a prick." Chesca chuckled and turned her head to look at the long haired wrestler next to her. He wiggled his eyebrows once and brought the bottle to his lips, taking a long sip out of it. Though she had been forced to stay with him, she couldn't deny to herself that it was pleasant only to have him there at her table; the former Intercontinental Champion also emanated an inebriating smell: an intense Chanel Allure, which tickled her senses and made her appreciate the fact he had chosen one of her favourite fragrances.

"If only Hunter would have been here," she then told him, looking in his baby blue orbs as a bitter smile crossed her features, "Things would have been different." Drew smiled at her, remembering what he had been hearing backstage after the last NXT episode: Triple H couldn't be the girl's pro anymore, the main reason being his torn bicep muscle, but also because he didn't want the wrestling business to think that she'd have been having an easy win on the other girls, being the chief's son-in-law's protégé.

"Ah'm sure ye won't have problems dealing with someone else, lassie." He tried his best to reassure her, looking in her deep brown irises. He found them filled with hope and determination, he still didn't know anything about her but he could definitely say those were the qualities needed to beat everyone else; even his best friends' rookies.

"Thanks for your faith, Drew." She replied to his sincere attempt to make her feel better, a wider smile as she brought the cocktail up and gently clashed it with his bottle that was still between his hands.

Observing as she savoured her drink, the sight of the girl's fleshy mouth leant gently onto the glass made him wonder about all the things she could've done with those lips. Then, biting on his lower lip, he sent that thought he wasn't allowed to have away from his mind.

"Is there any chance, yeh'd let me buy ye one?" He pointed a long finger to her Cuba Libre, and the half-Italian rookie shrugged her shoulders. She leant on her forearms and looked at him lifting her eyebrows up.

"Maybe," she said, darting her tongue out to lick her red lips, "When I finish this one." Chesca gently shook the half-full glass with two of her fingers, "But I'm planning to make it last until I'm going back to the hotel."

A strange light crossed the man's blue eyes, and a smirk adorned his thin lips. In the blink of an eye, he stretched a hand to take the young woman's tall glass in his hand, sliding it out her grip; he brought it up to his mouth and swallowed its content all at once, tilting his head back as he let every single drop of rum and coke travel down his throat. Unbelieving what she had just seen, her jaw fell at the Scottish man's cockiness, and looked at him in a total loss for words.

"Nou's finished." Winking at her, he took her empty glass in his hand and slid out of the booth, everything while the woman wrestler's eyes were fixed on him. "Be righ' back with yer second round, Ches." The cocky smile on his features made her swallow a lump in her throat: Drew McIntyre had been aware of her for a couple of minutes and had already taken hold of the situation. Suddenly, she thanked Stu Bennett for being such a pain in the arse to her English best friend.

_~#~_

"So, I finally get you alone." Katie froze to the spot, the sleaze she had turned down earlier in the evening seemed suitably inebriated as he meandered towards her out of the shadows. He grabbed her wrists, digging his thumbs into her skin causing the young woman to yelp. He smirked, pushing her hard against the wall.

"Get off me!" She shouted attempting to push the man off her by any means possible. It was all for nothing, however; he was unbelievably strong, settling all his weight on her hips. She hissed when the bricks scratched against her smooth shoulder blades, the feeling adding to her plight. His hands travelled up her sides and accumulated around her throat, choking her out as he pushed her further into the sturdy wall.

"Oi," The English drawl sounded into the cool night air as Stu sprinted forwards, grabbing the guy and pinning him against the brick wall by bundling his fists into his jacket. "I thought I told you to leave her alone?" Katie stared at Stu, confused as she clutched her neck. He had told this guy to stay away from her? She really didn't know what to think about that.

"You British never follow through with your threats."

He clasped a large hand around his neck, squeezing the air out of him as he spoke. "And you Americans don't hear all that well..."

The next thing Katie knew, Stu had thrown the man down to the ground with brute force. He turned back to her, breathing heavily, his eyes had glazed over from the rage building up inside him. "This may not be very pretty."

The Englishman shoved the guy into the next alleyway, punching him with all the power he could muster. He drove his knee into his mid-section, causing the man to double over in pain; that was a broken rib for sure. Katie timidly poked her head around the wall to watch as her pro beat up someone for her. The man's breath came out in rasps when he attempted to get away from the irate, possessed Stu but it was all to no avail; he grabbed his arm, swinging him into the wall. The sound of the back of his head bouncing off the wall caused a sickening smile to form on the Englishman's face. He slid down the wall into a sitting position, his face an unrecognisable bloody pulp. Stu crouched down in front of him, speaking calmly.

"You should've listened when you still had working limbs, mate."

He walked out of the alleyway and onto the street, acting as if nothing had transpired at all. Katie cautiously stepped in front of him, grabbing his hand and inspecting his bloody knuckles.

"You have got to teach me how to brawl like that."

"Those moves are not for in-ring combat." He said sternly. She looked up at him, admiring his features; she wasn't sure whether it was the alcohol or the fact that Stu had just saved her from an assault but he seemed like a completely different person. "Come on; let's go back to the hotel before we get in trouble."

"Wait, what about Chesca?"

"I'm sure that Drew will take care of her. I need to get cleaned up and you need to sober up, so come on."

_~#~_

After eating more than they should have, Stephen and Lou were laid across the bed. He rolled his eyes as Lou turned over again, the hotel bed not as comfy as she once thought, "Lou, will yeh stop moving about?"

"I can't get comfy." He glanced down at the gap between them, laying his arm out across the bed. An open invitation if she wanted a cuddle. He smiled, hoping she would move closer to him.

"Ah can assure yeh Ah'm very comfy." A breathy laugh left her lips, she had to agree; he did look rather comfy. She didn't have to give it a second thought. She shuffled along the bed, a sigh escaping her lips as she ended up in Stephens big arms, resting her head on his hard pectoral. His warm embrace was more than comfy; it was perfect; too perfect. Snuggling up to him, his arms tightened around her.

Stephen glanced at the blonde, her hair splayed across his chest and arm. His hand ran up and down her arm; guilt racked his body. He could see through her tough exterior, she wasn't as strong as she appeared. Her eyes were shut; breathing lightly against him. His actions tonight were inexcusable; he would never set out to hurt a woman. Her eyes shot open, immediately searching for his for reassurance. He moved down the bed slightly, his body rubbing against hers. He held onto her tight, not wanting to disturb her though she continued to stare at him. He wished at that moment he was a mind reader, he hadn't a clue what to say though a million thoughts ran through his head.

He felt her faint breathing on his neck, "Lou, are yeh alright lass?" He was worried to say the least, not many superstars took well to being thrown into steel steps. Let alone a Diva.

She looked up at him as he said her name, nodding slightly; she looked sleepy, "What's wrong?" She waited for his response with apprehension.

Her glossy eyes stared back at him, drawing him closer to her. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, grazing her soft skin lightly; her breath hitching in her throat as he became millimetres away from her. Her eyes drifted shut as his hand cupped her face tilting her head back slightly. Stephen couldn't explain his next actions, her lips looked delicious; waiting to be devoured and that's exactly what he intended to do. He pushed his lips against hers, lightly at first; teasing her reaction. He wanted to smile as she dragged her tongue across his bottom lip, instantly wanting more from him. He obliged, parting his lips. Her tongue delved into his mouth. The once sweet kiss turned hot in a split second. His hand left her cheek, moving to the back of her thigh, palming her soft flesh as his tongue duelled with hers.

Her hands travelled to the hair at the back of his head, playing with the fiery hair between her long fingers. He pulled away from her, his breathing shallow and harsh. The realisation of what they had just done settling in.

"Ah'm sorry, again. Ah can't seem to stop meself today." He started to move away from the blonde knowing too well he had taken things too far. Before he could get away Lou held onto him tighter.

"I've been wondering what your lips tasted like. They always look so sweet." He raised an eyebrow, shock and bewilderment taking over his expression; she kissed him once more, lingering slightly before pulling away, "Now I know for sure, I can't get enough." Lou ran her tongue over her bottom lip like she was sampling the sweetest nectar. Stephen swallowed hard, unsure of what his actions had just started. The hungry look in Lou's eyes mirrored his own.

Their night had gone incredibly smoothly; both the European wrestler and the rookie had been having a drink after the other, the quantity of empty glasses and bottles left on their table being considerable. Chesca didn't know the spell Drew had cast on her, but to be honest, she didn't mind it one bit; he had entertained her and made her laugh with the stories of him and his friends in the indies, she couldn't believe her ears as he told her how much the kids could like Lou's pro, Stephen, as a face.

"Remind me not go out with you again, Galloway." The girl said to the man walking next to her in the hallway leading to the room she shared with the New Yorker. She pointed a finger to him, gently pushing it into his pectoral through the plaid shirt.

"Wha' have Ah done?" A fake innocent expression appeared in Drew's blue eyes, his hands in front of his face in defence.

"You kept me busy with your talking," Chesca replied, leaning with a shoulder onto the wooden doorframe of what he supposed was her room, "And in the meanwhile, I drank like a cheap stripper."

The man chuckled, brushing a hand through his brown hair, looking down at the smaller wrestler. The blue dress against her curves and smoothly defined abs created a vision he couldn't take his eyes off, her bare thighs showing from under the material could have been a delicious dessert to sink his teeth in. Something deep inside his mind told him that he couldn't even consider doing anything to her, or to any other woman: but the numerous beers he had conceded to himself were blurring his senses, and the voice that usually helped him distinguish between right and wrong was definitely quiet.

"I can't even slide the card in the right way, see?" The half-Italian girl laughed after unsuccessfully trying to open the door. She turned herself to it once again as Drew still remained a few inches away from her, chuckling at her clumsiness.

"Let me help yeh." He got closer, his right arm helping her to stand on her heels by gently sneaking around her waist; his other hand, instead, took hold of hers, that almost disappeared in his bigger palm.

Chesca felt the breath of the man behind her brushing on her cheek; it was so hot on her skin, and it made her spine shiver. She didn't even know what came onto her mind as she suddenly turned her head to say something to that kind wrestler: not realising how terribly close his face was, she ended up touching his thin lips, an instant in which she tasted his slightly bitter flavour due to the beer he had drunk, a new sensation that even if for a second caused her to turn red and made her drown in embarrassment. But the Scotsman, instead of pulling away, sent her a sweet smile and made her turn on her heels so she was facing him. His hand cupped her face and he stared down at her, hypnotising those brown mirrors with his blue pupils; without even thinking, he kissed Chesca's lips, hesitating on them for a few seconds before ravishing her mouth with a passion growing by the minute.

It was useless to push him away with her hands on his chest. The sensation his sculpted muscles gave her only made her knees become jelly and increase her want for that mysterious man. Finally opening the room's door, the rookie walked backwards inside, as Drew deepened his exploration of her mouth, his tongue in a desperate search and need for hers, while one of his hands was on her back to keep her body glued to his, the other gently gripped onto her hair. Both of them, definitely too busy to notice that the light was turned on and that they weren't alone.

The metal handle of the hotel door clicking open alerted the pair to the door. Lou's head shot up trying to untangle herself from Stephen who had made no attempt what so ever. She breathed a sigh of relief as Chesca appeared, stumbling slightly before throwing her shoes onto the plush carpet.

"Lou! Sorry, I forgot you were here." Chesca's words were slurred; a giggle left her lips as an arm slipped around her waist. Drew Galloway appeared behind her, seemingly as drunk, kissing Chesca's cheek and holding her from behind.

"Good on ya Ste, Ah told ye she'd come around eventually." Lou looked to Stephen as Drew winked at him, his cheeks becoming flushed. "C'mon Chesca, Ah have a room all to myself." Chesca waved giddily whilst Drew practically dragged her out of the room.

"What was that about?" Lou asked, curious to Drew's comment.

"Ah, nothing lass."

"Did you know Drew was here? I know you guys are like best friends."

"Yeah we were gonna go out, but then I hurt yeh." Lou instantly felt bad; she knew he didn't get to see Drew that often.

"I'm sorry Stephen. I didn't realise, if I had known I wouldn't have asked you to stay with me."

"Ah bet yeh wouldn't believe me if ah told yeah I would rather be here wit yeh than getting drunk with me Scottish mate, would yeh?" Lou shook her head, she certainly didn't believe that. He grinned as he pulled her into his warm embrace again, pushing his lips against hers. She moaned as he pulled her on top of him, crushing her slim frame to his hard body. Her mind spun as he took control of her; never would she have predicted this was how things would turn out with her pro.

_~#~_

"That was mental what you did tonight." Stu didn't say a word, glancing down at his stinging knuckles as he opened the hotel room door. Katie sighed and stumbled towards the large bed in the middle of the room; she perched on the edge of the comforter and took off her stubborn heels. Her vision still blurred, the need to blink hard a couple of times did relieve her of her restricted view. Stu stood against the wall, trying to comprehend why he had brought her back so early when he knew full-well that she could have stayed with her friends back at the club. It was a long while before either of them spoke; the Londoner quietly broke the tension, sitting back on the bed. "Why did you do it?"

He rubbed a hand over his jaw, trying to think up the right words for this moment; not necessarily speaking the entire truth. "Katie, you're my rookie. I'm responsible for everything you do and if something were to happen then it would be all my fault. I can't risk losing my job over some jumped-up waste of skin who thinks he's God's gift to earth and beyond."

"Well that description sounds familiar..." She muttered under her breath, referring to the man stood in front of her. He advanced towards where she sat on the bed, taking a seat beside her.

"I only stepped in when you needed me. You completely rinsed that guy at the bar."

Katie shot her head up, tilting it when he smiled at her without his usual malice. He eyed the dark purple bruise that had begun to form on her slim neck and he suddenly felt a wash of anger; those stubby finger imprints on her skin made him feel livid for not getting to her sooner. "You saw that?"

"Yeah, I did. It was actually thoroughly entertaining."

"What, to see me getting bugged?"

"Somewhat." He chuckled, unbuttoning the top few buttons on his dress shirt and lying back on the bed.

"Whether you're aware of it or not," She turned to look at him, his arms behind his head, jade eyes staring back at her. "I saw a different side to you tonight."

"I'm not always the bad guy, Katie." He was speaking honestly with her, mainly because he knew she wouldn't remember it in the morning. "Believe it or not, sometimes I can be a protector."

"You were quite bad though. I mean, I don't think that creep will be eating solid food for a while." The Englishwoman lay back next to him on the bed, staring at the ceiling before poking him in his side. She whispered in the dimness of the room to him. "You didn't have to do it though."

"I definitely had to. Do you know how much it would have killed me to see you get attacked when all you had done was tried to defend yourself at the bar?" He was quick to correct himself. "I mean, not stopping that dick attacking you when I could have, that would have gotten me into a whole lot of trouble."

"Yeah, yeah," She waved her hands in the air, "Do you want to know what I think?"

"No but go on."

"I think you like me."

"And I think you've drunk too much." Katie shook her head, dismissing his opinion, leaning over him slightly. She breathed a 'no', the alcohol she had consumed hazing into Stu's nostrils; the woman was definitely drunk. He subconsciously darted his tongue out to swipe over his dry lips as she edged closer to him. She dragged her delicate fingers across his broad chest, the exposed part of his shirt allowed for some tanned skin to show. Her drunken smile eluded a sense of warmth; he was finding it difficult to resist her, her touch sent shivers down his spine. All of this confusion was reciprocated; he would only let this happen because she probably wouldn't think anything of it by tomorrow.

As he lay back in his resumed position, Stu's eyes drifted shut in a moment of anticipation. Katie looked at the man next to her; never in her life had someone protected her like he had this evening, he needed to be rewarded somehow. A simple thank you wouldn't possibly suffice. Her fingers traced his jaw line, covered in light stubble, and travelled upwards to cup his cheek. With a feather-like feel she barely touched her lips against his, watching out for his reaction. He puckered his lips and cupped her face, pulling her on top of him as she allowed him a taste. The alcohol mingled with his breath, their tongues duelling for dominance. Never had so much tension turned into such incredible passion.

Stu pulled away before the kiss got too heated; he didn't want this to be engraved in her deepest memories. She sighed, crawling off his body and climbing under the covers, still fully-clothed.

"...Are we not going to talk about what just happened?"

The response he got was an irritated moan and light rasps of breathing. Katie had fallen asleep at an alarming rate following her excessive alcohol consumption and Stu did nothing to wake her. He stripped down to his boxer briefs and got into the other side of the bed, turning off the bedside lamp and falling into a deep sleep.

_~#~_

"This is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me." Chesca said to the Scotsman as he carried her through the hotel's hallway holding her hand; he grinned to himself while he searched his back pocket for his cardkey.

"Ste is a friend," he told her as they stepped inside his room. "M'ah best friend, actually. So there's no problem at all." The young rookie wasn't paying attention at all to what he was saying, slowly walking with her bare feet on the soft carpet towards the bedroom. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into him again, ending up pushing her back against the closed door.

"Ches." He whispered, his long fingers taking her chin, gently forcing her to look up at him: a shiver crossed the girl's body the moment he spoke softly and hypnotized her with the intense blue of his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Ah want ye not worry abou' anything. Everythin's fine." He got closer to press a quick kiss on her fleshy lips, "Nou': where were we?" The sound of her chuckle made him understand she had forgotten about the minute they had broken into an already occupied room.

Their aim, that night, would have been to forget the world around them: the morning after though, would've been forcing them to remember at least a few important things, like the golden ring safely resting in the Scottish wrestler's pocket.

**A/N – Thank you VIXXY VAMPIRE, LA Williams, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx, kimcooperx, alyssaanne, AyaxDeidei-Sama, wades wife, hOtlilmofo, Asukasammy and Noellia for the lovely reviews. Sorry for the delay, we're still adjusting layout and switching between scenes and stuff but hope it's alright :P! Love Katie, Chesca and Lou x**


	5. Slow To Punish, Quick To Reward

**Chapter 5 – **_**Slow To Punish, Quick To Reward**_

Katie walked up to Stu's house in Tampa, not looking forward to what awaited her at all. He had called her earlier, ordering her to meet him at his address to discuss further tactics for the competition. The last thing she wanted to do was spend her days off working with the one man she couldn't stand. She knocked sharply three times and stepped back on the porch, away from the front door. Not long later, Katie heard footsteps becoming clearer as they got nearer to where she was stood, then the sound of the latch being lifted in order to unlock the door from the inside. There stood her pro, dressed casually but still smart in a pair of jeans and a white dress shirt, untucked and unbuttoned at the top to reveal some chest, the sleeves rolled back to his elbows.

"You took your time." He firmly stated, leaving the door open for her to follow him inside his sizable house before she could even retaliate.

"Right," Stu said as he motioned to the living room, "I want you to pay attention and keep your mouth shut for once." Katie brushed past him and sat down on the large cream leather sofa. She pulled the lever on the side to lift up the footrest; Stu followed after her, noticing her rather brash movement. "Make yourself at home then." His sarcastic response was already beginning to push her over the edge but she had promised herself on the way over that she would try and turn over a new leaf with him. She decided to do something she hadn't done in a while: bite her tongue. He took a seat right beside her, making her feel uneasy; the sofa was huge and he decided to be a brat by closing the space between them. The 50" television directly in front of the pair came alive with pixels as he turned it on and pressed the play button.

Katie sighed lightly and leant her elbow on the arm rest, her hand resting underneath her chin. A warm feeling crept up inside her when she saw what Stu wanted to show her; it was a compilation DVD of all the wrestling greats, past and present. She'd be lying if she said she didn't get emotional watching it; ever since she was a little girl, Katie wanted to be like her wrestling heroes. Now, she had her chance to do so; and maybe, just maybe, Stu was ready to actually help her. He glanced at her as she viewed the footage in awe and a small smile crept onto his features. Her eyes shone with admiration, he had finally found a way to stop her bitching.

Twenty minutes passed by with Stu pausing the footage several times in order to explain the manoeuvres being displayed on the screen to her. Of course, she knew every single one that he wanted to talk to her about but decided to just nod along and keep quiet. It was odd to Stu how he'd not heard a word out of the woman since she had stepped through his front door; usually there was at least a little protesting, a couple of foul words or smart remarks to escape her. He wasn't sure if he actually liked how quiet she was. The last time she was this calm, she managed to kick him in the bollocks and he was adamant on not reliving that again.

"You know what," He said, turning the television off, "Let's take a break." She looked up at him like he was crazy; she'd not said a thing and he was still uncomfortable with her. Perhaps the 'keeping your mouth shut' approach wouldn't help their relationship in any way. He reached down and pulled her forward, her body bouncing from the sofa into the hard pane of his chest; his foot kicked the footrest down so it clicked in place. "How about I show you my gaff?" Katie gave him a quizzical look, tilting her head to the side. She had no idea why he was trying to be so nice to her after all that had happened these past few weeks; it wouldn't have surprised her at all if he'd given her the DVD and told her to bugger off so he could enjoy his days off.

She couldn't help but laugh at him as he showed her his huge house; he walked around every room acting like a real estate agent: '_three bedrooms, two baths, the gym, plenty of outdoor space, blah, blah, blah...'_ He was acting really weird with her, like he wanted them to get along; _well that wasn't going to happen anytime soon_, she thought.

"This is the best part about the house," he gestured to the patio doors once they made their way out through the kitchen, turning back to her he was quick to correct himself, "apart from the gym, of course." Katie's eyes focused on the sunshine reflecting on the water of his outdoor pool, the azure allure seemed incredibly inviting as the soft wind danced over the surface, creating transparent ripples. She was brought back to reality with Stu jabbering on and on, "I spent a hell of a lot of money on this house, you know." Katie was getting tired of hearing his voice; he paced the swimming pool as he talked. It was as if he'd opened a floodgate in the way of talking, she was now the one who was constantly reminded of how self-involved he was, his voice drifting off as she attempted to drown it out of her mind. They stood side by side, Katie staring at their reflections in the water, Stu continuing to drone. He must have known that he was getting on her nerves; she reached out and nudged him in the waist hard. If she couldn't drown out the sound of his voice then what was stopping her drowning him?

She folded her arms across her chest, showing her impatience and set off back into the house; but not before 'accidentally' bumping into him, sending him hurtling into the depths of the pool. A giant splash rose from the water like a firework, Stu not yet surfacing. The satisfaction of pushing him in washed over her as she saw him rise from the crashing blue water, the serenity of the pool disturbed by the fully-clothed burly wrestler. He gasped for air, raking his hands over his face and smoothing over his dark hair, the water dishevelling it from its usually gelled slick.

"Wow," Katie yelled over to him, trying to compose herself, "You really need to work on your balance, Stu." She said, walking over to him and leaning over the side. "I could show you an awesome DVD if it would help you?" He grunted as the smirk on her face stuck in his mind, the girl was dead. She was completely amazed that she was able to hold back until that very moment, her tongue well and truly bite mark ridden.

Stu trudged towards her at the shallow end; his body rising from the water, shirt sticking to his muscles which were completely visible due to the now see-through white cotton. Katie didn't know what was happening but she couldn't tear her eyes away from him as he approached her all angry and dripping wet. At this moment in time she had forgotten all about her smug pro and his comeuppance, settling for an attractive Englishman with a death glare rising from the depths.

"You just love to cause trouble, don't you?" He grabbed onto her arm when he reached the ledge, smirking up at her from the water. "Maybe, I need to teach you a lesson." Katie scoffed momentarily, realising the figure that had approached her wasn't this Adonis, it was only Wade Barrett who had decided to resurface after a brief stint as a real estate agent and then a diver, and not a very good one either. His grip on her was strong; you'd think that the water would have made it difficult to maintain a hold but it wouldn't hinder Stu. He could easily bench press three of Katie so lifting her wasn't a problem in the slightest. Her hazel eyes widened at the sight of the water getting closer to her, Stu pulling her with such force he went under the surface again as she fell.

"Argh," she screamed when she resurfaced, "it's fucking cold!" Her teeth chattered in exaggeration as Stu laughed at how pathetic she was acting. "I'm going to kill you for that, Bennett!" Katie yelled at him angrily, as she pushed the soaking wet hair out of her face in a less than graceful manner.

"Ooh, I'm quaking in my boots..." He mocked her from across the pool, shaking his hands in the air and it only made her even angrier. She launched herself towards him, his eyes narrowing in an attempt to gage which body part she was going to kick first. Her top rode up as she jumped out of the water, showing off her taut stomach and the scripture inked on her ribs. He had no time to read it or admire it however, her body about to smack into him. He managed to catch her in his arms and slam her against the wall of the pool, trapping her there in the cage of his own huge body. All that could be heard was the twinkling of the water around them and their heavy breathing as they just stared at each other. Katie gazed at Stu, watching a droplet of water drip from the tip of his nose and into the pool surrounding them. She closed her eyes, unable to take the man inches away from her when he looked so angry and oozed sexual energy. The last time she felt his hot breath on her it wasn't pleasant in the slightest but this time, she couldn't comprehend how different she felt. He was confusing the hell out of her, anticipation killing her slowly. Stu leant even closer, removing his hands from either side of her head and letting them fall to his sides. He towered over his rookie and stared into her orbs, which for a split-second, flashed with fear as her eyelids flickered open to reveal the gorgeous colour. His hands rose quickly from the water and cupped her face, bringing Katie to him possessively. Their lips crashed together, the sensation causing her entire being to tingle, the surge of energy making her thighs ache deliciously. She moaned into him, allowing him entry into the depths of her hot mouth. He savoured the taste of her, confirming everything he had imagined gaining from the kiss. His tongue swiped across hers then dipped further in, all the while, her hands reached up to tug on his wet hair. The anger that had been building up between them had transformed into an intense passion. Sensing the breathlessness, he hesitantly pulled away from her, sucking on her bottom lip, plump from the intrusion. When he pulled away from her completely, he lifted himself out the pool by climbing on the ledge directly next to her, water gushing from his clothes as he left her alone, dumbfounded.

She stood in that same position for a good ten minutes; having gotten the biggest shock of her life, she was still confused as to what had happened. What gave him the right to just kiss her like that? Her lips continued to tingle long after Stu left her to dry off. She wondered why she felt such a wonderfully intense connection with him when he locked lips with her; and she wondered why she was the most turned on that she'd ever been in her life.

Stu came downstairs after getting changed into a pair of grey sweatpants and nothing else; he glanced out of the kitchen window noticing Katie frozen on the spot. He'd done that to her, he thought as he smirked at her. A sick sense of pride poured out of him with that revelation although he was just as unsure what to do next as she was. Obviously kissing her had proven that he wanted her in more than a professional way but he couldn't knock the nagging feeling that he would fuck it up with her. Katie looked literally frozen to the spot, even in the Florida sun; her teeth were chattering for real this time, her body shivering. Stu made his way over to her, offering his hand for her to take. She glared up at him and swallowed hard.

"The last time you held your hand out to me you dropped me back on the floor again," she shot at him bluntly, "I don't fancy taking another dip."

"You look frozen to the spot; I suggest you take my help before I leave you out here to catch your death." He was attempting to save face with her, acting as if nothing had transpired between them. She couldn't do that, however. Katie needed answers. Against her better judgement, she grabbed a hold of his hand and he lifted her out of the water with absolute ease. He placed an arm around her shoulders, guiding her into the house.

"I got you some clothes to change into," Stu said to her rather softly, sincerely but then smirked once again, "because if you died of hypothermia it would have been on my head." He led her to the downstairs bathroom, handing her a t-shirt and some shorts.

"Er," she began, a blush creeping onto her face, "you wouldn't by any chance have any ladies underwear?" She closed her eyes, knowing he would come out with some manslut remark that went something along the lines of '_Well, I've slept with enough women to fill an entire bedroom with them. Let me go and get you some...'_

Instead, he placed a large hand on her flushed cheek and whispered in her ear, "Sorry, love. Guess you're going to have to go commando?" If he said that to her on any other day you could be sure that he would have earned himself another kick to the crotch; circumstance had it that the way it was put to her seemed sexy and full of tease. He smirked at her before closing the bathroom door behind him and allowing her the time to change out of her wet clothes. Katie pulled the t-shirt over her head, his masculine scent creeping into her nostrils as she positioned it on her body. It was huge on her; it was, in essence, a dress. The shorts were way too big, the crotch hung low as the waistband rested loosely on her hips. She managed to tighten them with the thick drawstring poked underneath the elastic waist before grabbing her wet clothes in a bundle and unlocking the bathroom door. Stu stood on the other side, again, a smirk playing on his lips. If there was ever a time to feel uncomfortable for the young woman, it was now.

"Pass us those; I'll put them in the dryer for you." She didn't hesitate to push her sodden garments into his arms and make her way over to the living room; the sooner they were dry, the sooner she could get dressed and get out of his house.

The Englishman wandered over to the washer and dryer combo in the laundry room, lifting the lid and plonking each piece of clothing in the drum, one after the other. He stopped, holding up a scrap of black lace between the pads of his thick fingers; the corners of his mouth tugged upwards. She had gone commando after all. He placed them in the dryer with her other clothes and turned it on before joining her on the sofa.

"What are you doing?" He asked sceptically as she leant closer to him, eventually residing in his lap, her legs either side of his large thighs.

"You think I'm going to let you tease me like that? You hardly gave me the chance to respond in the pool." Katie smiled wickedly, not really understanding what had come over her, herself. She was supposed to hate this guy and yet the kiss they shared had stirred up raw emotion inside. He looked at her with unwilling confusion, she wasn't supposed to be reacting to him like this; he swallowed hard, uncertain as to whether she was being serious with him or not. A long moment passed, Stu still staring at her without a word. Katie leant close, bringing her lips to his ear and speaking lowly as she watched the emotions play out on his features. "Cat got your tongue, Bennett?"

"No." Stu's reply was blunt but his body was telling her a different story. His hands rubbed light trails up her thighs, settling underneath the shirt she wore; the grasp on her slim hips was firm. He still wanted the control; the upper hand. "Here's your chance, Katie."

She purposely rolled her hips as she inched forward, a stifled groan escaped Stu; he almost didn't want to let her know that he was enjoying this. He licked over his dry lips subconsciously, anticipating his rookie's approach. At first, her hands cupped his face until his own hands gripped onto her pert bottom, disguised by the oversized shorts of his that she wore; she shifted her position as he pulled her onto him even more, her hands pulled at the back of his head, tilting him back for more to ravage on. The second her lips descended onto his, Stu allowed her to set the boundaries. This was her chance to respond, he was going to let her take an ounce of the control into her favour and then steal it back from her under his terms. He parted his lips in a breath to which Katie took a full opportunity to mingle her tongue into the depths of his hot mouth; he tasted delicious, as much as she would never admit. She was willing him to cooperate with her, sliding her tongue against the very tips of his teeth. Her sigh of slight frustration into his mouth was quiet; if he wasn't going to give in and indulge then she would have to result to drastic measures. Katie pulled away from the confines of his mouth, sinking her teeth into his plump bottom lip; Stu snapped his eyes open in shock.

"Did you just...bite me?" She lifted her eyelids, heavy from the passion she was feeling. He didn't need confirmation to know what her game was; if she wanted to be naughty then he would give her something to remember. Without another word, Stu stood from the sofa, cupping her backside. She hooked her legs around his hips, locking herself in place by crossing over her feet. He pushed her up against the wall, his hands taking a bruising grip on her wrists and slamming them above her head; she moaned, his tongue flicking over the pulse point on her neck before dipping his teeth into the supple flesh. Her hands were so small and delicate that he easily engulfed both with one of his larger hands. The ripping of the t-shirt she was wearing sounded throughout the room, discarded pieces of thin material thrown about the living area without a care. He smirked evilly when she arched her back off of the wall and towards his bare torso; she tried to push herself against him but his grip on her wrists was too strong, almost painful.

Katie mewled when his head dipped lower, trailing a slick, wet line in between the valley of her perfectly rounded breasts with his tongue. He breathed heat softly over her already hardened nipples; the dusky pink pebbled flesh was just begging to be devoured. She groaned when he began grazing his teeth across them, his hands letting go of her wrists to concentrate on lapping up her delectable fleshy nerve endings; the sensation making her head swim. Her fingers scraped through his messed up dark locks, holding him in place so he was able to pay equal attention to each breast. The immense pleasure was riding out the fact that they were not getting along professionally; the tension had all but come to a head. He travelled back up her body, licking his lips hungrily like a predator stalking his prey. His lips crashed against hers and she whimpered from the contact, his dominance was mind-blowing.

He broke her legs forcefully away from around his waist, watching as she slid down the wall, breathing heavily. She reached out to him, scratching her long nails down his chest and staring when the red lines appeared then only to vanish a second later. If he was going to be rough with her then she was certainly going to give him as good as she got. She brushed her hand against his sweatpants, ever confining his manhood; she simpered when he sucked in a breath and pulled her hand away roughly. It was her turn first. Pulling the drawstring free from the bow she had so neatly tied, the shorts immediately fell to the floor, exposing his rookie completely to him. Stu got down on his knees, gripping a hand tightly around one of her ankles and silently ordering her to place her foot on his broad shoulder. She complied with little defiance, opening herself to him. He raised his eyebrows playfully prior to running his mouth along the inside of her thighs, drawing out her essence to him. She gleamed with readiness, gasping when Stu ran his tongue over her silky folds of flesh. He found her clit quickly, nibbling over it as his fingers worked her with vigour. The fast pace brought Katie to a more aroused state, her breath coming out in short, swift pants whilst he sampled her honeyed depths with his agile tongue. She powerfully tugged on his hair in an attempt to pull him away from her; he stood, his left hand clasping around her neck with slight pressure as he delved his honey-covered fingers into her mouth. Biting his lip, he watched her through lowered eyes, suckling and biting down eagerly on his thick fingers. His cock twitched with need in reaction to her activity, a need for a release washed over him.

She kissed him hard, finally able to free his painfully hard member from the precincts of his sweatpants; he stepped out of them, leaving them exactly where they pooled on the hardwood flooring. He gripped her wrists with rough distinction, brushing his cock against her heat to tease her willpower. Katie whimpered, signalling defeat, a victorious grin spread across the man's lips. He reached down to grab the drawstring from his shorts, pulling them out of the waistband; he bound her wrists together behind her back and pushed her towards the arm of the leather sofa. It was by no means a strong restraint but he knew it would keep her from getting away; it wasn't like she would anyway. A fistful of her hair was wrapped around his right hand, yanking her back as he entered her from behind without a care for her comfort. Katie screamed out, the abrupt intrusion stretching her walls; he got a luscious thrill from observing the way her back arched to him with every plunge of his hard member. His thrusts became more acute as he angled his cock to reach the precious nerve endings inside her that made her see stars. He halted his movements entirely when she let out a laboured groan; he wanted to switch positions. His hands on her shoulders brought her against his muscled chest; she lifted her leg to rest it on the arm of the chair. He left her no warning when he drew out of her and rapidly plunged deep again, filling her completely, teasing her with every stroke of his finger against her clit. They moaned together as they found a newly thought out rhythm, a hefty hand pulling her neck back so her head rested on his shoulder, his thumb delving into her mouth.

Katie was so close to the edge of finding her ultimate pleasure; her hands were still bound but she was able to run her fingers over the flesh of his hipbones from behind. Her pro increased the pressure of his finger, pressing harder with the rhythm of his strokes inside her. She cried out, unable to take it anymore; she squeezed her eyes shut, her walls tightening around his ever moving member. A primal groan dropped from his lips, her name escaping him like a mantra. He spilled his seed into her, his thrusts becoming much more placid as they both attempted to calm their breathing.

"Finally you take my direction," Stu breathed once he had pulled out of her and untied her wrists. "If you play by my rules, you'll get your rewards. It'll be our little secret." Katie stared at him confused; he winked, disappearing into the laundry room to retrieve her now-dry clothes. "We should get dressed; we have to be down at FCW soon."

~#~

Lou smiled at Stephen, his grin was infectious. His cheeks dimpled as he flashed his perfect teeth, "How're yeh, lass?" He slung his arm over her shoulder, his thumb gently brushing over her skin. She gently pulled his arm from around her shoulders, letting his arm drop to his side.

"I think we need to talk Stephen."

"What's up?" He frowned slightly.

"NXT means so much to me, I don't want anything to jeopardise my time there. I need to win this Stephen." She swallowed hard, "We need to remain professional."

"Are yeh serious?" She nodded, not really knowing what to say next.

"You're an amazing guy, but right now I think we're better off as just friends." He nodded slowly, taking in what she had just said.

"Alright, lass. If that's what yeh want."

"Thank you." She placed her hand on his shoulder, leaving a lingering kiss on his cheek.

"Guess Ah'll have to stop taking it easy on yeh." He winked and nodded to the empty ring, "Get in."

She quickly slid under the bottom rope, jumping up onto her feet, awaiting her next instruction. Stephen was quick to follow, walking up the steel steps and stepping through the second and third rope, "Drop and give me fifty." Lou raised an eyebrow; Stephen had gone into drill mode. She didn't question him, instead she dropped to her hands and knees before setting up into push up position. She felt him watching her, suddenly aware that he probably had a very nice view down her shirt. She finished the push ups easily, jumping to her feet placing her hands on her hips.

"Fifty sit ups." Again she did as she was told. This time she could see him though, it was throwing off her concentration, "Keep yeh feet flat on the mat."

"They are!" He moved forward, dropping to his knees in front of her. His big hands wrapped around her ankles, pushing her feet into the mat. She moaned as it suddenly became harder, he smirked knowing that he was right. She finished the last one, collapsing back the mat with her arms above her head.

"Did yeh do the things Ah asked yeh to?" She cringed, she may have skipped on a few of the things he had asked her to do over the past few days, a trip to Pete's Pizza Parlour with Katie and Ches had seemed much more inviting than running laps and circuit training, "I thought so." She sat up with Stephen's hands still having a firm grip on her ankles, "Yeh say yeh wanna win this thing then yeh do everything Ah tell yeh to, got it?" She nodded, she felt like she had just been told off. She was surprised he hadn't bent her over his knee and spanked her. He took her hand and pulled her up. Maybe she should have waited until after training to speak to him, "Yer gonna do circuits whilst Ah work out, alright?"

"Okay." He pointed to the set up outside of the ring; free weights, bench, jump rope and medicine ball waiting to be used. He waited for her to move, staring at her as she climbed out of the ring.

"Five minutes doing each, until Ah tell yeh to stop." She set to work, moving through each set as ordered to. She glanced over at Stephen dead lifting weights, his muscles bulging with every lift. She noticed 2 other men walking over to him, laughing and joking. She was intrigued to say the least. One of the men she knew was Brett DiBiase having worked with him at FCW for a while now.

"Lou, yer slackin'!" She looked up again after hearing Brett's voice. He grinned at her and she smiled back. They had always gotten on well. Stephen shot her a glare as he put his weights down.

"She doesn't need distractions, DiBiase." Stephen patted Brett on the shoulder.

"She seems to be doing fine by me." Brett quipped back, his arms folded across his chest. Stephen knew the look in his eyes; the 23 year old was like any other young lad. Brett turned to his friend Matt who he had come to train with, "Let's get started. See you later." He nodded towards the bigger man.

"Lou! See you after the show; we could grab something to eat?" She set the medicine ball down and smiled.

"Sure thing Brett, see you later." She swiped her hand over her forehead, it was hot and she was tired, "Can I stop yet?" She pouted at Stephen who shook his head.

"No." His answer was blunt; he ran his tongue across his bottom lip before turning his back to her.

"Is there a problem Stephen?" She stepped closer to him, aware of his sudden mood shift.

"No problem at all. Get back to work."

"Must be the sunshine making you cranky..." She turned back, heading for the lockers. She couldn't train anymore; she needed some energy for the show tonight.

"Lou!" She kept walking despite her name being called, "Oi!"

"What?" She turned around, her face almost smacking into Stephens chest.

"What're yeh doing wit' DiBiase?"

"Excuse me?"

"A little young fer yeh isn't he?" His voice was bitter, he couldnt help himself.

"I can't have friends younger than me?"

"Don't play stupid. He doesn't want to be just friends."

"Are you jealous?" She crossed her arms under her bust, waiting for his reaction before speaking up again. Stephen ran a hand over his face, "I like you, and I mean really like you but I'm not interested in dating anyone until I've won NXT."

"So yer still going out wit' Brett?" He couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Yes, I'm going to eat food with a friend. Is that a problem?"

"Watch yeh calorie intake." His eyes raked over her, she knew full well what he was insinuating. Before she had the chance to smack him across the face he left the locker room. Things with her once perfect pro had just turned sour.

~#~

"I'm jealous about who is going to be your new pro," Billy Kidman, one of FCW's trainers and ex WWE Superstar, said to the half-Italian as they were outside the arena where they'd have put on a show on that very night, "Easy job, since you're already one of the best out there."

"Oh, shut up." The girl replied, handing a gadget to a little boy that had brushed past her, "I'm lucky if I don't get eliminated next week." Kidman got closer to her, stopping her hands from giving out stuff and lifting her chin up with two fingers; he could see in her brown orbs that the past few days hadn't been that great for her.

"The competition has only just begun," he told the young woman, her eyes looking down at the Triple H Rex Cranium shirt that fit perfectly to her curves, "You have nothing to worry or be sad about, Ches."

"It hasn't been a bad week at all, too," she sighed, a shy smile on her face as she remembered the night she had met the Scotsman, "I got laid after months, you know?" Chesca added in a whisper, causing the trainer to let out a small laugh as she confessed to him about her one night stand.

"Hope you haven't given up to Saxton's advances," Billy replied, as she shook her head.

"No, Kid," Chesca said, "The lucky guy is..." She stopped talking all of a sudden as she turned her eyes to look at a little crowd right across from where they were. Her 'lucky guy' had just appeared in front of a hot dog stand, she could've recognised that pony tail and those large shoulders everywhere.

"Ches?"

"Can you excuse me for a second?" Without an explanation but only with a huge smile on her lips, Chesca pushed the FCW baseball caps left in her hands in Kidman's, who looked at her strangely before shaking his head at her sudden excitement; running the few metres that divided her from the man she had just spotted. She couldn't help but think about all the things she'd have liked to tell him. For example, that she had been thinking about him since the night they had spent together, about how much she had missed him.

"Drew?" Her breath was shallow as she called his name, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. Drew McIntyre, surprised by her touch and her voice, slightly jumped on the spot as he realised who had just appeared next to him.

"C-Chesca?" He said, his cerulean eyes widened, "What're ye doin' here, lassie?" The Scotsman tried at least to reply to her smile, not believing she was actually there in front of him; a wave of guilt washed over him, and he used all of his force not to show that to the young woman.

"I'm still a wrestler in FCW," she reminded him, pushing a tuft of wavy hair behind her ear, "But you?" The man swallowed hard; among all the people he'd have liked to meet right there in Florida, she had been the one to pop out of nowhere, and he had no idea how to deal with her.

"Couple o' days off," he shrugged, taking a sip out of the glass of beer in his hand, licking the alcoholic liquid on his lower lip by darting out his tongue, "It's," he used his best efforts to smile at her, "It's great to see-"

"Love, who are you talking to?" A small blonde woman, not much taller than Chesca, had appeared behind Drew's shoulders. The makeup on her gorgeous eyes making them look bigger, her lips slightly curved into a smile as her hands gently gripped onto the Scotsman's arm, a shiny golden ring on her left ring finger; the NXT rookie had seen her before. She was Taryn Terrell, formerly known as Tiffany in the WWE.

"Taryn," the wrestler said to the woman that had just appeared, "This is Chesca." Trying to act normal, fighting the urge to punch Drew directly in his face, Chesca wore the best smile she could, and stretched her hand out to shake Taryn's.

"You're the half-Italian girl, right?" Taryn asked, sneaking her arm around Galloway's waist, "I'm definitely not an expert, but you totally rock in the ring at FCW!"

"That's me," the girl shrugged, her eyes fixed on the woman before her, "And trust me when I say, there are better wrestlers than me." McIntyre looked down for a second, the blue orbs wandering around desperately trying not to cross Chesca's.

"Stu introduced us last week," the man interfered in the conversation, reassuring his wife. "Ah kept the lass company at the pub, while he bossed his ou'n rookie around."

"Gosh, I think I've seen you on television as well," the blonde squealed. "Pretty exciting hanging around all those big names, huh?" The young woman behind Chesca nodded, sliding a hand in her dark denim jeans pocket. She was trying her best not to show how much she didn't like her.

"I think it's time for me to go and prepare for my match," she lied, casually taking her iPhone out of her leather jacket pocket and glancing at the hour flashing on its screen,."Taryn, it was a pleasure to meet you." The former wrestler and the rookie exchanged one last smile, before the FCW Diva would turn on her heels and run back to the arena; Drew rubbed his face with a hand, his jaw fighting to fall because the brunette hadn't even said bye to him. Could he blame her, after all?

"Why don't we stay and enjoy the show tonight?" Taryn's words woke him up, "I don't know, catch up with a few friends and stuff?"

"Hm?" Galloway blinked his eyes a few times, looking at his wife and realising what she had just asked for, "Ah'd love that, y'know?" He said, gently pushing her towards the food stand and leaving the glass he had in his other hand into hers. "Let me go ask Dusty fer his best seats, 'kay?" Happily nodding at his initiative, the blonde did as she was told, and watched as her husband quickly made his way towards the talents' entrance of the FCW building, his blue Affliction shirt disappearing from her sight.

"Ches!" Once inside the arena, Drew immediately caught sight of the half-Italian girl, standing in a hallway talking to one of the bookers, "Let...Let me talk to ye!" As soon as she had heard him call her name and had noticed he was walking towards her, Chesca angrily clenched her jaw and rapidly waved at the creative writer in front of her, her wavy brown hair streaming behind her as she took off in the opposite direction, where the locker rooms were. As her hand was already pushing down the doorknob, she heard the Scotsman's fast steps and felt his fingers grip onto her shoulder.

"Don't you fucking touch me," she hissed through gritted teeth, her now wet eyes staring at him. "Don't you dare touch me again."

"Ye're overreacting," he got closer to her, his hand not leaving its hold, "Give...Give me a chance. Just a chance to explain ye." The anger building up inside of her was clearly showing from her slightly quivering bottom lip.

"Go on then," she sarcastically said, widening her arms, "Explain."

"Ye doun't need me tae remind ye how drunk we both were, do ye?" He almost whispered, not wanting that conversation to be caught by anyone in the near distance, "But it-"

"You entertained me, you made me have an amazing evening at the bar, you kissed me and we had mind blowing sex, just because you was drunk, I get it," the young woman wrestler shot back, Galloway rolled his eyes. She had all the right to be mad at him though. "You could have had the honesty to tell me about your lovely wife, it's not something you forget to tell someone you're about to fuck."

"Ches, Ah didn't mean to use ye, Ah'm...Ah'm just not like that."

"Maybe you didn't mean to," she freed herself from his grip, "But you ended up hurting me anyways, lad." The man couldn't understand why he was feeling so bad. He had this insane pain growing in his heart that, being a so-called happily married man, he shouldn't have felt; his mouth remained half open as he tried to find other words to keep Chesca there in front of him, to try and stop talking nonsense by actually telling her what he felt about her.

"Ah shouldn't be sayin' or thinkin' tha' Ah loved everythin' abou' that night, but that's how' it is," he said, leaning with his hand on the doorframe of the women's locker room, "And Ah'm sorry, ah haven't told ye abou' Taryn."

"Does that mean you'd have slept with me anyway?"

"Ches..."

"It was a mistake, you shouldn't have done that, let's be friends, and all that shit." She laughed bitterly, placing her palm on the white wooden door.

"Isn't there anythin' Ah can do, to make ye feel better?" He asked, with a last glimpse of hope in his blue eyes; swinging her tongue to the side of her mouth in thought for a second, she turned her entire body to face him; he totally towered over her with his 6'5'' height.

"Hold still."

Without adding a single word and without giving him the time to step aside, she charged a powerful slap to his left cheek. It echoed throughout the hallway, and the pain almost made the Scotsman swear in all the languages he knew; before a single tear could fall down from her hazel eyes, she angrily pushed the door open and entered, slamming it behind her. Drew stood there, unbelieving and hurting: he had meant every word he had confessed to Chesca, but she wouldn't have believed him; he just dragged himself to find Dusty Rhodes somewhere, to get the tickets he had promised to his wife, as he still and unexplainably kept on being in pain, as the half-Italian's filled with tears eyes flashed on his mind.

_To be continued..._

**A/N – Thanks to wades wife, alyssaanne, LA Williams, nefertina-shanf, aidannatalie, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx, hOtlilmofo, crazylilbitch and ThatGirl54 for the lovely reviews. Again, we apologise for the delay of this one but it's in two parts because otherwise it would have been so long and tedious! But hopefully the next part will be up sooner rather than later; we've already written half of it due to the split. Thanks for sticking with us! Hope you enjoyed. Love Katie, Lou and Chesca x**


	6. Keep Me Under Lock And Key

**Chapter 6 – **_**Keep Me Under Lock And Key**_

Lou had just changed into a referee shirt, tied up to show her stomach and cut at the top to show some cleavage. Chesca would be going against Katie in a one-on-one match, herself being the special guest referee. She looked at her English friend, noticing something different about her. And not in a good way.

"Are you alright, Katie?" Katie looked up, fumbling with the knee pads in her hand and letting out a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Just making sure you're okay, you've been awfully quiet. You're usually the loudest in here."

"Everything is fine, Lou. Don't you have something better to do, like cut your top a little lower?" Chesca rolled her eyes at her friends bickering.

"Shut up, you guys."

"Bennett has done something, I know it. What happened at his house?" Both girls watched Katie snap her head in their direction, one foot firm on the wooden bench lacing up her boots.

"We watched old wrestling tapes. End of." Lou stood up, walking over to her friend; she took hold of her hands and looked her dead in the eye.

"We care, Katie. Don't push us away."

"I'm sorry; I think I just need a good night's rest."

"We all do." Lou looked down to Katie's hands in her own; she lifted them up closer to her eye line, "What's this?" The Londoner glanced at where Lou was looking; faint purple marks were around her wrists. She knew exactly where they had come from.

"Is he hurting you?" Chesca rushed over upon hearing Lou's words, the brunette peered over her shoulder gasping as she saw the marks. Katie tried to pull her hands away, "Katie! Is he hurting you?"

"No, don't be ridiculous. I could kick his arse, and if he hurt me I would kick his arse." Katie pulled her hands from the blonde's grip, "If you'll excuse me, I have to finish preparing myself for this match."

Lou turned to Chesca as Katie turned her back on her. Chesca shook her head is response to Lou's questioning look, they both knew there was nothing they could do to curb Katie's stubborn attitude; they would have to believe her, for now. 

"_Welcome back to FCW, folks. You join us as we are about to engage in a battle of wills between two NXT Diva rookies and their special guest referee, but first we're awaiting our commentary guest for this matchup, and my former broadcast partner, Wade Barrett." Byron Saxton's voice sounded around the tiny warehouse, only about a hundred or so fans kept away from the ring by black metal railings. As Stu's music hit, Saxton carried on talking to the viewers about the upcoming matchup. The Englishman strutted to the commentary table in the far corner with the familiar smug look on his face; Katie followed behind, climbing the steel steps leisurely and addressing the crowd from the top turnbuckle. "Wade, welcome back to FCW and, indeed, to the FCW commentary team."_

"_It's nice to be back, Saxton, but this time I'm here for a different purpose." Stu took his seat next to his former broadcast partner and pointed towards the ring where Katie was bouncing off the ropes. "You see that young rookie in that ring right now? I have subjectively taken her under my wing to make her into a better performer."_

"_Great to know you're finally thinking of someone else for a change, Wade. I'm sure as our viewers know; you don't exactly get along with each other. Didn't she throw cake at you last week on NXT?" Stu pursed his lips, he never thought of a suitable punishment for her debacle during the rookie challenge. That was something that he intended on following up very soon._

"_She's not got away with that, let me be the first to tell you. There's a lot that she needs to be disciplined about but if you catch her tricks in the FCW ring and the improvement, you'll realise that she's learning from me." He adjusted his headset as Chesca and Lou walked out respectively, both getting a good pop from the small crowd. "I'm not entirely convinced as to why Liberty is playing the official for this matchup. Personally, I don't think it's fair that she'll be biased towards Titania; I can tell before she's even begun the match. Arabella is at a certain disadvantage here..."_

"_Oh please Barrett, you want to talk fair? You pick apart the WWE roster with six other guys on a weekly basis so don't you go talking about playing fair."_

"_You know me well, Saxton. I'm not about playing fair and I'm not here to make friends; a philosophy that I have instilled in my rookie."_

"_Then perhaps she won't have a problem getting dirty, herself." Stu had a hard time biting his tongue. After the activities that he had participated in with Katie a few short hours ago, the memory of her 'getting dirty' was certainly fresh in his mind. "I was almost certain we weren't going to be seeing you again, Wade, seeing as you're this huge WWE Superstar now."_

"_There is no question that I am the greatest WWE Superstar to come out of FCW. Why shouldn't I be allowed to visit from time to time?"_

"_That's...rather debatable, I'm sure." Stu glanced at Bryon and shook his head with disbelief. His jade eyes narrowed to slits as he saw Stephen approaching the commentary table from the entrance of the room and the Irishman didn't look happy to say the least._

Lou turned around as she saw a figure standing at the entrance, inwardly groaning once she realised it was Stephen. He walked around the ring keeping in character; his eyes burned into her before he shot a glance at Stu. Katie leant against the ropes trying to catch her breath, she and Chesca had been going at it for about 5 minutes She frowned at Lou, clearly they were both confused as to why Stephen was at ringside. Chesca was just getting to her feet after the devastating clothesline Katie had delivered.

"_A great move by Arabella there, you teach her that one?"_

"_I think she's pretty capable of performing a simple manoeuvre like a standard clothesline, Sax-"_

"_Excuse me for interrupting, Wade," Saxton straightened up, the small corner now miniscule with Stu on one side of him and Stephen taking a seat the other side. "But ladies and gentlemen, we have a surprise spectator in our presence. The Celtic Warrior Sheamus, how are you doing, man?"_

"_Ah'm a little bit annoyed to be honest wit' yeh, fella." Stephen rolled up his sleeves and pointed at Stu. He was pissed with his bold statement that he was the best out of the ex-FCW bunch. "This guy thinks he's the greatest Superstar to come ou' o' FCW? Yeh didn't even hold the FCW Championship belt like me."_

"_Yeah, which you lost to Eric Escobar under easy terms. What are you even doing out here? Your rookie isn't actually wrestling so you don't need to be here to encourage her shoddy officiating. That was a near fall just then because of the slow count." _

Katie sauntered over to Chesca and pulled her to her feet by her hair. She slapped her hard across the face making her drop to the mat again. She looked up at Stu who was stood up squaring off with Stephen; he hadn't been watching her vicious attack at all. The Londoner gripped Chesca into a headlock, a move that she had been used to pulling off over the past couple of months. Her knuckles bunched underneath the half-Italian's chin, inflicting more pain on her strained face. She managed to gain some strength, shoving Katie over her shoulder and onto her back.

"_A great reversal by Titania, there. That has surely slowed down Arabella's pace in this matchup. Guys, do you mind? We're supposed to be doing a job here."_

"_Ah could knock yeh ou' right here, fella..."_

"_Saxton's right, I'd like to watch my rookie beat both of these other girls."_

Katie moved to stand next to the turnbuckle, her hands gripping onto the top rope waiting for Chesca to get to her feet again. Chesca stood up, her sight catching Katie running full force at her. She side-stepped out of her path; Stu's rookie tried to stop herself as her intended target moved; instead she connected with Lou, spearing her through the middle rope onto the outside. They both hit the floor with a sickening thud, Katie stood up without any problems glancing down at her friend who didn't seem to be moving. She heard Stu shouting at her to get back into the ring and finish what she started.

"_Ouch! An unintentional spear takes Liberty right out of the ring."_

"_Yeah, I can't say I taught her that one either but Arabella looks unscathed. She needs to get back in that ring and finish what she has been ordered to do by me and that is win at any cost."_

Lou groaned; her already injured neck was throbbing. She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders; her eyes flicked open expecting to see the beautiful grey orbs of Stephen in front of the bright house lights. Instead she was staring into the deep blue eyes of the FCW Champion, Brett DiBiase.

"Lou?" He spoke close to her ear so the fans couldn't hear, "Are you okay? Do you need help?"

Before she could answer, Brett was hoisted into the air by an angry Irishman. She heard Stephen tell him to back off through the thumping in her head. Her hand gripped onto the back of her neck as she sat up. Stephen crouched down next to her, concern glazing his eyes. He knew how much trouble she'd had with her neck; partly due to his behaviour on NXT. She brushed Stephen's big hand off her shoulder and gripped onto the ring apron to pull herself up. She didn't need anyone's help.

"_Sheamus does not seem happy about DiBiase coming to Liberty's aid."_

"_Neither of them have any business being out here." Stu wanted to get this match over and done with and Stephen being around to take the limelight away was no in his plans. "He just wants the focus completely on him. It's pathetic."_

"_I wonder where I've heard that before..."_

As Brett was being intimidated by Stephen, Katie took the opportunity to grab hold of the shiny FCW championship that had fallen off Brett's shoulder. She looked down at it, simpering and then shooting her stare towards Stu at the announce table.

"_Wait, what's this? Arabella's got hold of Brett DiBiase's championship belt! She's going to strike Titania with it whilst Liberty is catching her breath outside the ring!"_

After slipping back into the ring, she crouched slightly waiting for the right moment to attack. She sprung off the mat as Ches turned around, the title tight in her grip as the cold gold connected with the side of Chesca's head. She fell back to the mat upon impact as Katie threw the belt over the top rope just as Lou was shoving Stephen away from her and attempting to get back into the ring.

"_That is one sneaky move, Saxton. And that, that is just one thing that I have taught her in this game. She is ruthless and driven because of me."_

She dropped to her knees and crawled to the lifeless half-Italian, laying over her and grabbing hold of her leg. Katie stared at Stu, locking her eyes with his. She couldn't explain it but she wanted her reward. Stu stared back just as intense, a smirk tugging on his thin lips. He was impressed to say the least; she had listened to his motto of cheat to win. The count was slow as Lou made it to the centre of the ring, but eventually the mat was hit for the third time. She signalled for the bell to be rung and clambered to her feet.

"_Well she may have cheated technically, but Arabella got the job done."_

Once Katie was up Lou grabbed onto her wrist and held her arm up in victory; she winced, the bruising on her taped up wrists becoming more apparent to her. Did she regret getting rough? Hell no. Lou left her to celebrate and went to check on Chesca who used the ropes as a support for her limp body, her head pounding.

"You okay, sweetie?"

"Felt like I've just been hit by a truck, but I'm okay." Lou helped Chesca to her feet quickly. She gave her an apologetic smile, not really entirely sure as to why she felt so sorry for her. Her centre of attention had never been on the matchup with Katie anyway; something had happened with Drew and it had split her focus, causing her to be unresponsive. Lou pressed a hand to Chesca's back, gently guiding her behind the black curtain whilst Saxton thanked Stu for his less-than-insightful commentary.

After the match, Lou knocked on the one of the locker room doors knowing Stephen was in there, she waited for a response. It swung open after a moment revealed a shirtless Stephen. "Hi."

"How can Ah help yeh?" His hand reached up to the side of the door, gripping it and leaning his weight on the door frame.

"Can we talk?" Lou stared at his face, trying her hardest not to let her gaze wander down his defined chest and sculpted abs.

"Ah'm about to leave."

"Oh, erm, okay." She turned on her heel; obviously he didn't want to be bothered. She felt his warm hand wrap around her arm, stopping her from walking out any further. He tugged her backwards gently.

"But Ah guess Ah have a few minutes fer me rookie, what's up?" Lou stood still suddenly not knowing what to say, she had lost all train of thought, and she could feel her cheeks burning as the seconds passed. "Lou lass, yeh feelin' alright?" Stephen pressed his hand against her forehead whilst the other wrapped around the back of her neck keeping her head still.

"Screw being professional." Lou practically jumped on Stephen, taking him by surprise as her lips locked with his. He kicked the door shut as he captured her in his big arms, her body crushed against his. After trying to resist he kissed her back, gently nibbling on her bottom lip before swiping his tongue across hers.

"Make yeh mind up now." Stephen mumbled against her wet plump lips, "Ah ain't going back and forth wit' yeh."

"I want you." Lou purred back, her fingers running across the defined muscles in his back. Stephen smirked back at his rookie, that was what he wanted to hear. Just as his lips were about to meet hers the locker door swung open.

"Drew! Can yeh learn to knock, fella?" Stephen peeled Lou off his body, giving her an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I need t' talk t' ye, Ste." Drew looked serious, his hands now shoved into the pockets of his jeans.

"Alright, though Ah am staying wit' yeh for a few days. Yeh can't tell me later?"

"No, it's urgent." Stephen nodded before turning to Lou.

"Ah'll give yeh a call and yeh can meet me in the car park?"

"Oh, I'm going for something to eat with Brett." Stephen raised his eyebrows, his tongue running across him bottom lip. He didn't have any control over the woman outside of the ring, so if they were friends he would have to deal with it.

"Alright then."

"Maybe you want to do something tomorrow? Seeing as you're staying in Tampa?" Lou glanced at Drew, very aware that he was watching them.

"Sounds like a plan, see yeh later." Lou sensed something was up but daren't push her luck.

"Have you seen Chesca?" Lou asked Drew before she left the locker room.

"Me? Why? Why would I av' seen her?" Lou frowned at his defensive tone.

"Okay, don't get your panties in a twist. I was only asking. Bye." Lou shook her head, quickly leaving the two boys to have their chat.

"What's up wit' yeh?"

"I slept wit' Chesca." Drew ran his hands through his long hair, "Why didn't ye stop me when I 'ad come into ye' room!" He smacked Stephen in the chest clearly annoyed with his actions, "She ran into me and Taryn, I 'ad t' introduce them t' each other."

"It's not me fault yeh can't handle yeh drink, or yeh self control."

"What do I do now?"

"What can yeh do? What's done is done." Stephen usually wouldn't be so blasé about cheating, but he knew things between Drew and Taryn weren't as smooth as they once were.

"What if Chesca tells her?"

"Why would she tell her? Drew, yeh made a mistake, alright? Ah ain't telling anyone so stop worrying yehself." Stephen walked over to his bag and grabbed a long sleeved black shirt; he pulled it on and turned back to Drew who still looked like a nervous wreck, "Don't worry."

Stu strutted down the hallways in search of his rookie. The Englishman was impressed with how she had listened to him before the match; his technique to get her to do things his way was pretty unorthodox but he figured it was working by the way she had shown off for him. He walked down an empty hallway, unsure as to why he had decided to look for Katie down there when it was clearly unoccupied by anyone. As he turned to go back, a closet door opened, a hand reaching out from the darkness and pulling him with force into the tiny room. She pushed him against the wall, the back of his head slamming into the shelf above, knocking off various cleaning products in the process.

"Ow." He groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "Fuck, that hurt."

Katie kept a straight face, trying her hardest not to laugh. "I'm not sorry."

"What are you doing in here?"

"I want my reward." She stared at him, running the tips of her tongue over the seam of her lips. Stu grinned before screwing up his face; his rewards were given out on his terms, not hers.

"What?"

"Yeah, and I'm hiding out because you told me this was supposed to be a secret. No one will ever think to find us in here."

"You want a reward?" He scoffed in her direction causing her to frown. "A reward for what?"

"Why the fuck are you playing dumb with me, Bennett?" She answered louder than expected, breathing harshly. Sighing to calm herself down, she spoke lowly so as not to be heard by anyone else. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. I did great out there tonight."

"Fine, you did well. You got the job done like I told you to. What do you want me to do about it? I thought you didn't want praise..."

"I don't want praise; I don't _need _praise. I know that I'm the best competitor in this thing. And what, do you have a subjective memory or something? Do I need to spell it out for you?"

"Tell me what you want me to do." It was Katie's turn to scoff; she quickly undid the tape from around her bruised wrists, displaying them in front of his face.

"You were rough with me earlier. See?"

"Woah, shit." He didn't expect her to bruise so easily; he must have been really rough with her to get through such tough skin as hers.

"Yeah, the girls saw the marks before I managed to get the tape on, they asked me what happened."

"What did you tell them?"

"Nothing, I didn't need to." Stu breathed a small sigh of relief; he couldn't have this whole secret agreement getting out to anyone; then it wouldn't be a secret at all. Katie continued on as if what she was telling him wasn't important. "They just think you're hurting me now." His eyes widened, his stare now focused completely on her, intense and overriding.

"Did you set them straight?"

"Yes. I didn't tell them the real reason I had the marks either."

"Good." Stu said bluntly, his fingers gripping onto her chin as he spoke his words. "Wouldn't want them finding out about our little secret now, would we?"

"Listen to me right now, give me what I want or I'm leaving you in here alone." She smirked, leaning close to his ear. "And I won't come back for you."

"Oh yeah? You and what army?" Stu licked his lips, feeling victorious; there was no way that she would ever get to him like this, she wasn't strong enough to hold him back. His smirk fell when he caught sight of the shiny glint belonging to the handcuffs that Katie held in between her fingers. She giggled, tracing her digits over the metal, undoing the lock and holding them out to him. He straightened up, his back flat against the wall. "You wouldn't dare."

"I wouldn't?" She raised her eyebrows, holding the cuffs open wider to accommodate for his large wrists. "You don't know me at all, Bennett." He fixed his eyes on her through the dimness of the room, still able to make out the sparkle of mystery in her brown orbs; they glinted with seductive cheek, she was being absolutely serious. Katie took a step forward to the man in front of her; he was clearly enjoying this enough not to move from the spot. She reached out with the handcuffs, ready to bind his own wrists, but instead tapped the metal gently against his clothed hip and hooked one cuff through his belt loop, securing it with a sharp snip sound. He looked down at her, slightly confused; she was having her fun, teasing him until she got exactly what she wanted. Her nimble fingers swiftly took hold of the other end of the cuffs, locking it to the radiator behind him. His hands were free but he was now unable to lunge at her if he wanted to get away. She kissed him hard, forcing his lips to part with her defiant tongue. Stu groaned as her hands ran down his chest and to the waistband of his pants, stroking lower over his confined manhood. Before he had a chance to respond, Katie pulled away, waving the key to unlock the handcuffs in front of his face. She glanced down at his pants; a tent well and truly pitched much to his distain. "Looks like you just lost the control."

"Give me the key right now." His tone was bordering on playful yet there will still a hint of demand. Katie smirked wickedly, placing the small key in her waistband so it was half-showing. She daren't shuffle closer to him in case he reached out to grab it, and she knew exactly how nimble his thick fingers were.

"You don't want to give me my rewards? Then I'll take them." Without another word, she backed further away from him and left the janitor closet. Stu attempted to break the handcuffs apart with his strength but for some reason it was no match, his hands were turning red from forcing the chain apart. It clanged against the cold radiator, the ringing resonating in his ears. He was completely outraged that she had one-upped him by teasing him and then making herself scarce; he couldn't ask for help, that would be way too humiliating, how would he even explain the situation?

Stu pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled Katie's number; he needed to get her to come back and unlock the handcuffs. She was in so much trouble. He waited patiently for her to pick up, the call instead going to her voicemail to piss him off even more. Katie had managed to frustrate him to no end and what was worse; he was completely turned on when he really shouldn't have been. The beep alerted him to begin his unwilling plea for her to return with the key.

"Katie, I don't know what your fucking game is but you better get your arse back to this closet right now." His voice was hushed but firm. "Seriously, I'm not fucking playing about."

Lou and Chesca kept to themselves as they walked down the hallway towards the fire exit. Their intention was the make it out into the car park to search for Katie who had disappeared after the match. The New Yorker stopped in her tracks, digging her heels into the floor and pulling Chesca back with her.

"Hold up, Ches." She halted her movements and scanned the length of the hallway. "Did you hear that?"

They could both hear the low murmur behind a wall. "Yeah, where's it coming from?"

"Sounds like Stu."

Chesca retraced her steps, pressing her ear to the first door she came to. Her eyes widened as she listened to the seemingly one-sided conversation; he sounded really angry as he spoke. She pointed to the door, her ear still up against the grain of the wood, opening her mouth to signal to Lou. "He's in the janitor's closet, what the hell?"

Stu's words were getting louder as they both listened in to the conversation. _"You're dead, Katie."_

"Katie's in there with him, oh my god." Lou's mouth formed a perfect 'O'; Stu had obviously pulled her into a place no one would find them so he could hit her. "He's going to hurt her again; I was right all along."

"We can't just let this go on, Lou." Chesca pulled them both away from the door before busting it open dramatically with her foot. She stepped inside all guns blazing, her New Yorker buddy not far behind. "Hey, get off our frie-" She stopped upon realising he was alone...and handcuffed to the radiator. "...Wow." Stu stared at them like a deer caught in headlights before he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"Go and get your friend." He ordered to the two women. "I need to have a word with her."

Chesca was trying not to laugh, her hand covering her mouth, eyes creased. It was so good to find the guy who was torturing their friend in such a compromising position. Lou grinned, taking a step forward.

"Alright, we'll go and get her. Let me just do one thing first." She pulled out her phone, holding it up in front of Stu. His face illuminated with a bright white light for a second before he was blinded by a flash. He strained, lunging forwards in anger, the veins in his neck popping like crazy; they were clearly all in on this according to him. The girls stepped back into the doorway, giggling uncontrollably. "C'mon Ches, we should go and find Katie. I've got to show her this picture." They legged it out of the tiny room and make their way back to the locker room where Katie was surely getting changed, ready to leave.

Stu growled, his rookie was in so much trouble. "Chester! Get back here! Both of you delete that picture." He shouted, his voice cracking he was that pissed off. "You're all dead."

**A/N – Thank you wades wife, alyssaanne, hOtlilmofo, ThatGirl54, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx, nefertina-shanf, wwemagpie, crazylilbitch and DeansTrueGirl for the awesome reviews. We appreciate them so much! :) Lou, Katie and Chesca x**


	7. Cross The Line

**Chapter 7 – **_**Cross The Line**_

"Guess who's going to show you around, miss?"

The moment she heard that voice her heart skipped a beat. Chesca turned to find herself in front of the blond hair, the nose and the smile she loved and had missed so dearly; Paul Levesque was right there on Raw, and the first thing she felt natural to do was to run into his arms. Hunter, although surprised by his now former rookie's display of affection, held the young woman's body for a few seconds, his hand caressing her smooth and wavy hair: he suddenly understood how much of a daughter she had become to him.

"Erm, I," the half-Italian said once she had pulled off him, realising how impulsive she had been. "I'm-"

"Happy to see you." The seventeen-time World Champion smiled, slightly pinching the girl's nose, who blushed. "Ready for your visit, Ches?" He offered an arm to her; the rookie nodded and mirrored her favourite wrestler's smile, sneaking her slim hand under his huge forearm as they started walking through the main corridor.

~#~

"These corridors are long. Are we trekking to your locker room?"

"That's one good thing about the arena being so spaced out; a lot of dark corners." He stopped Katie in her tracks, firmly pushing her shoulders to the white wall and leaning close to her ear. "For doing dark deeds." She laughed lightly when he let his grip loosen so she could carry on walking as if nothing was going on.

"Is this how you flirt? Didn't you learn your lesson the last time you walked into a closet with me?"

"Oh, you'll get what's coming to you, don't you worry."

"I doubt that." They turned a corner; the Nexus locker room seemed to be completely isolated from every other locker room in the building, they were pretty much deep in the back. He grinned as she ignored him.

"Maybe I should handcuff you naked somewhere and leave you."

"That's sort of alright by me." Katie halted, looking up at him. "I don't mind a bit of exhibition whereas you're the one who likes secrets." He pushed her up against the sets of steel ladders stacked on top of each other, rubbing his hands up her sides and under her shirt.

"Dirty secrets." He whispered in her ear, a low growl escaping him when she brushed her hand against his dress pants. She felt like complying this once.

"Naughty secrets."

"But secrets nonetheless." Stu pulled her hand away forcefully and then smirked at her fazed expression. After an expel of air, he spoke lowly, closer than ever. "I know you want me."

"No." The woman shook her head, dismissing any assumptions. She poked her forefinger into his chest, his pectorals tensing from the fast pang of intrusion. Her teeth sunk into his earlobe without a second thought. "You want _me_."

"So, I'm sure that you've met some of the guys before." He started walking to the end of the corridor, chattering over his shoulder to her, referring to the other members of the Nexus. She caught up, confused at how swiftly he had changed the subject. This must have been all a part of his teasing agenda, perhaps it was something to get used to. "A few of them were still at FCW when you were there, I think."

"Yeah and they were just as bad then as they are now."

"Tell them that, Katie. I bet they'd love to hear it from a rookie."

"You know I will."

"And that's the problem." Stu reminded her, his hand gripped onto the door handle to the Nexus locker room. "You have no idea when you should keep your mouth shut." Katie clasped her hands together, staring up at him innocently.

"I thought you liked my mouth open and waiting..."

"Stop that now." He reprimanded, opening the door to be greeted by the other six members of the Nexus minus Skip Sheffield, who had managed to break his leg during one of the house shows a few weeks back. "Lads, you've met my rookie Katie, right?" They all mumbled a 'hello' in one way or another before going about their business, getting ready for the show. Katie smiled at them politely but couldn't wait to get away from them, especially her pro.

"Well as fun as this has been, I'm going to find Lou and Ches." She patted her hand against Stu's broad shoulder softly. "Think you can cope without being stuck to my side for an hour or so?"

"I don't care what you do."

"Nah, of course you don't." She winked, turning her attention back to the pairs of eyes watching their exchange. "Nice seeing you guys again." Stu rubbed a hand over his face, scratching the light stubble on his manly jaw line as she backed away to the door.

"She's lying when she says that by the way. She can't stand you, Otunga, but that's beside the point." He turned back, licking his lips at her before she left. She had no idea what punishments he had in store for her, and he was going to love every minute of administering them. He turned back to his co-workers with the most serious face he could have possibly conjured up in that moment. "Anyway, let's go over the strategy for tonight's show..."

~#~

As Triple H and Chesca came out of the room where the episode's director usually controlled everything in front of a million television screens, they took off in the offices' direction, still talking to one another. The San Franciscan couldn't help but be radiant with joy, having her favourite wrestler with her for a while. That hour and a half with him spent hanging around the hallways had served its purpose of finally get relaxed, not worrying about every single one of her problems. That man was surely a downer to her.

"I'm sure you don't have such a thing in FCW, do you?" Hunter asked the half-Italian, sending her a smile. She nodded, pushing a tuft of hair behind her ear.

"Everything's easier there." Chesca replied, as they walked towards the offices again. "We just have a video camera, it's a miracle the commentators have mics, too." Trips chuckled, slipping a key out of his back pocket; he pushed the small piece of metal inside the locker and opened the wooden door, letting the young woman enter before him.

"The famous general manager's office?" The girl asked, folding her arms on her chest covered by a grey 'Property of WWE' t-shirt.

"It is," Hunter answered, approaching the desk to take the papers lying on it. "It's our last stop." Suddenly, the San Franciscan felt a lump forming in her throat. She wasn't ready to let go of her mentor again, but she still kept a smile on her face as he walked around the room, recollecting things he'd have brought home with him.

"It's actually a great thing though," she said, almost in an inaudible voice. "The first and last time I visited backstage happened with you as my guide so I'm happy with that."

"Last?" Trips asked, raising his eyebrows in a puzzled expression. "What makes you think so?"

"Oh come on," she said, widening her arms and letting them fall to her sides. "Do you think I'm going to win NXT?"

"But it has just started, Ches." Hunter told her, getting closer to the small woman and placing his hands on her shoulders. "You're not thinking you're not in the others' league, are you?" Chesca turned her head, biting hard on her lower lip; she was actually trying to keep herself from crying.

"Things have gone downhill since you've gone, Paul." She answered honestly as a couple of tears slowly trickled down her cheeks. "The only match I won was against that idiotic Barbie, I lost to Katie and got hit in the head, and while both my best friends have those two psychopaths by their side, I'm left alone!" Levesque looked at her, his father persona coming out all at once as he listened to her rant. He knew he had to carry at least a part of the guilt, he knew she was feeling that way also because of him.

"It's just a bad per-"

"And, finally," she added, with a sudden, stressed gesture of her hands. "When I think I've found a man I'm truly interested in, he forgets to tell me he's married!"

"Chesca, calm down!" The blond wrestler slightly shook her and tried to make her look at him in his hazel eyes; he took her chin between his fingers, and forced her to fix her chocolate, deep and sad pupils in his orbs. "Just listen to me, please." The girl swallowed hard, wiping the tears away from her face with her palms; she couldn't actually believe she was crying like a child in front of her favourite wrestler.

"If I could, believe me when I say I'd rather stay here and guide you through NXT rather than getting this stupid bicep operated on." He gave her a soft smile. "But it's not my choice. And you already know how sorry I am about leaving you." She had to admit that he had been apologising for a good hour the week before. He had to go, and it didn't depend on him.

"It's," she spoke, looking down at her sneakers. "It's not your fault, I know."

"At least a bit it is, but," he chuckled. "It's no one's fault. Do you know how many matches I won when I started?" His forefinger and his thumb connected to form a perfect zero. "But the point is, your career, your...your life," he smiled at her once again. "It's just begun." A few seconds of silence passed, in which Chesca use all of her efforts to smile back at the man that meant so much to her and was treating her like a member of his family.

"Paul?"

"Yeah."

"Who's my new pro?"

"You'd like to know that, don't you?" Hunter quickly brushed a finger on the tip of her nose. "I promised you it will be someone alike to you and that will do anything to get you to the end of the competition." Paul said. "Tomorrow it's Tuesday, so you just have to wait." Chesca, even if still devoured by curiosity, felt better already. She looked at the man in front of her with grateful eyes, accepting the handkerchief he was lending her to wipe the tears still on her face; he pulled her in his big arms again, wanting to reassure her even more.

"Will you be coming to see me in the final?" She asked, finally giving him a genuine smile as they approached the door.

"When you and your new pro will be standing in the ring after you've been proclaimed the winner," he told her, gently pinching one of her cheeks, "I'll jump over the barricade and celebrate with you." Hunter added, "It's a promise." The Game winked an eye at her, she finally had true hope inside her heart that things would have gone her way very soon; the shadow of a man appeared in the doorway, and the couple stopped on their path.

"What in the world are you doing here?" A familiar, husky voice came from a smiling man in front of them; long, brown hair, a baseball cap on top of his head, and a pair of unmistakable shiny blue eyes raked over them.

"What are you doing here, Shawn?" Hunter replied to the slightly smaller man, pulling him in for a brother-like hug. "I'm here showing the place to my rookie." Shawn Michaels looked at Chesca, sending her a smile and taking her hand in his to place a quick kiss on it.

"Can I join the tour?" He asked, the half-Italian immediately nodding; she wasn't going to send a legend away. The three started to walk down the corridor, but not for too long.

"Mr Levesque, Mr Michaels…" They heard someone clear their throat behind their backs, Chesca's blood freezing at the sound of that voice. "Can Ah have a moment wit' yer rookie?" Drew Galloway had appeared in the hallway, a feeble smile on his thin lips, his beautiful eyes looking tired, and his car keys still in his hand. Paul glanced at Chesca, her clenched jaw showing she definitely wasn't happy to see the Scotsman; he decided not to say anything but just mirror his smile and place a firm hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Ches?"

"Excuse me for just a second." She nodded to her former pro and Michaels, both of them taking a few steps down the corridor and leaving the two alone. As Drew got closer, she moved backwards and planted her brown orbs in his blue ones; she wouldn't have crumbled again.

"Chesca..." He sighed.

"What do you want from me, Drew?"

"Ah want tae apologise." He begged in a low voice, his best efforts in trying not to appear weak in front of her.

"Apologise?" She chuckled, brushing a hand through her hair. "Alright then, tell me you're sorry once again and disappear from my life."

"Ah don't want tae lose ye," he cracked a smile, a sweet tone still in his voice. "Yer an amazing lass and-"

"If you were thinking all these nice things about me, Galloway," she shot back, "You'd hav-." Drew's hand slid to the back of her neck, pulling her into him as he leant down to crash his lips down on hers: Chesca's hands cupped his face, all her muscles used to try and send him away; he tasted good as she remembered it, the pleasure of something beautiful and forbidden hit her like it did that night. She didn't want to crumble once again though, and she finally managed to free herself from his mouth, taking a deep breath.

"Goodbye, Drew." The half-Italian turned on her heels and went where Trips and the Heartbreak Kid were chatting, joining them in going outside the building. The Scotsman stomped his fist on the wall, not understanding what had been preventing him from crying his heart out to her; he had felt something the night they had met and he didn't regret anything, he wanted to tell her that things with Taryn weren't going as good as they once were and that maybe they could find a way to be together. He slowly walked towards the part of the corridor he had come from, thinking that maybe he had wasted time travelling all the way to Raw, hoping to sort things out with the San Franciscan girl. He left the arena without even saying a word to his best friends, lost somewhere in the locker rooms with their rookies. It really was time for him to head back to Smackdown, and forget about everything.

~#~

"Oh my god, why the hell is he head banging?" Lou giggled at a younger Stephen during his days at Irish Whip Wrestling. She was advised to have a look at his past career just to see how far he had come so that she could map out a pathway for herself. The moment he had lent her the DVD, she called up Chesca and Katie, telling them to meet her in the green room during Raw.

"This is classic." Katie laughed along as the camera panned to Stu who was supposed to be warming up his body in the middle of the ring. His hair was short and mousey brown, his face less angular and more angelic, if that was even the correct word to use. He wore a black and navy tank top which he quickly whipped off and black wrestling trunks with his ring surname, Sanders, emblazoned on his backside in white lettering. "Look at Stu stood in the ring like a right lemon." Chesca pointed to the screen, unbelieving that he was the same man that was 'bullying' one of her best friends now.

"He's so lanky. Where are his muscles?"

"I guess he left them at the gym." The Londoner's quip earned her a shared giggle. Their laughter came to an abrupt stop upon hearing the door swing open to reveal a sweaty Stephen.

"Girls, what're yeh doin'?"

"Nice trunks, Ste." The New Yorker smiled as he perched himself on the edge of one of the leather sofas. She leant into him ever so slightly, her voice low. "I can see everything." Stephen let out a hearty chuckle, switching looks between his rookie and the television set.

"Ah know that yer impressed, lass. Don' even lie."

"Ooh that reminds me...How was your date with Brett?" Lou punched her friend in the arm, watching as Stephen uncomfortably straightened up in the corner of the green room. He narrowed his eyes at the thought of Brett taking his rookie out to have some fun without him. He wanted to be the one to do that but it was like NXT was a huge barrier in the way of them.

"Katie!"

"What? I need to know these things. He's a good kisser, isn't he?"

"I wouldn't know and it wasn't a date." Stephen silently breathed a sigh of relief. "We went for a burger after the show and then he drove me home. That's it."

"Was it worth it?" Chesca chimed in, eyes set firmly on the New Yorker's face. It looked as if she didn't understand what they were talking about.

"Huh?" The half-Italian rolled her eyes; 'huh' was not an appropriate answer.

"The burger, was it good? Or is that code for something?"

"It was a serious, legitimate burger with jack cheese and relish, okay?"

"Oh, that sounds so good. Now I want a burger." Katie moaned. "Ste, wanna take me out after the show?"

"Ah would, lass, but Ah thought Stu was keepin' yeh on a tight leash."

"It could be our little secret..." Katie's eyes widened at what she had just said. The thought of Stu telling her that at his house rang through her mind; another secret would be too many to cope with. "You know what, never mind." She waved her hand in front of her face, dispelling any further conversation. They watched the match transpiring on the DVD for a while, Stephen hiding in shame at some of his less practised manoeuvres, until the door opened once again. It was clearly Stu from the deep English brogue that sounded before he even stepped inside the already restricting room.

"You better be staying out of trouble." Katie smirked when she saw the look on his face; a blush hit him upon seeing his younger self on the television set, not quite sure what he was doing.

"Well, if it isn't the other Chuckle brother..." Lou picked up where Katie had left off.

"Hey Sanders, nice black panties."

"Where did you get this?" He pushed his rookie's arm, waiting for an answer with his arms folded over his broad chest.

"Ste lent it to Lou for her to watch." She replied innocently, the corners of her mouth etching upwards with every word she said. "I didn't think it was possible for you to prance around in something smaller than you already do."

"Did you invite them here on purpose, Ste?"

"Ah didn't know anythin' about it. Katie doesn't need any more ammo fer yeh, fella." Chesca tore her eyes away from the screen, focusing her comment on an almost irate Stu.

"I like how it says 'Sanders' on your ass."

"Yeah, I guess it's on there because you tend to talk out of your arse all the time. It makes sense." Stu growled, pushing the eject button on the player and throwing it back at Stephen who effortlessly caught it in one of his large hands. He made his way over to his rookie, pulling her up from the sofa by her forearm.

"Alright, leave your friends now; you're coming back with me." She attempted to shake him off; he was seething over absolutely nothing. Embarrassment was not something he experienced often.

"Let go of me. You can't tell me what to do."

"Do you want to be running drills at five in the morning again?" She most certainly did not. Turning back to the girls and Stephen, who were stood more or less in shock at Stu's manhandling, Katie smiled and was escorted to the door.

"I'll catch you guys later." Stephen twirled the disc around his finger for a while before putting it back in its box. He turned to the girls on the sofa.

"Yeh know what? We should all go." He spoke lowly, his hand gripped on the door handle, the other held the DVD. "Ah need to get ready fer me match." Lou nodded, standing up with Chesca.

"I'll meet you in your locker room then."

"Grand."

"Bye, Ste."

"Stay outta trouble, Ches."

~#~

Lou glanced at Chesca and giggled, her eyes landed on the crown set next to Stephens suitcase. She picked it up and placed it neatly on her head. "What do you think Ches?"

"I think it looks stupid." Lou frowned at her friend. She was right. Of course it looked stupid. She grinned and picked up his cape; it was huge but she slung it over her shoulders and twirled around.

"Now what do you think?"

"Much better, your stupid look is now complete."

"Cheer up cookie, everything will be okay." Lou smiled sincerely at Chesca, still upset that her pro was injured. "Hey, if I do my best Sheamus impression will that cheer you up?" Chesca rolled her eyes and sat down on the bench. Lou held her arms out and roared ending in a giggle as Chesca' eyes lit up, all she needed was something to take her mind off the night's events. Her laughter soon stopped as she heard the locker room door click shut. She spun around, the heavy green fabric brushing against the hard carpeted floor. Her eyes settled on Stephen as a snicker from Chesca filled the room.

"Is this what yeh do when Ah leave yeh alone fer two minutes?" He raised an eyebrow before letting his eyes rake from the crown on her head to the cape around her shoulders.

"I was getting them warmed up for you." She grinned as he stepped closer to her; gently taking the crown off her head and setting it back down.

"Yeh know what happens when yeh mess with me stuff." She raised an eyebrow, curious as to where he was going. He pushed the cape off her shoulders, draping it across the bench. "Ches, how're ya lass? Yeh seen any more o' Drew?" Lou scolded him with her gaze and punched him in the arm.

"No, I'll leave you both to it." Chesca stood up and smiled briefly at the pair before slipping out of the room.

"What was that fer?" Stephen rubbed his arm as he stared her down. She shook her head and left him so she could change. She was going to escort him out to the ring; she jumped at the chance when he had asked her. She didn't reply to him, he was an idiot if he didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

Stephen sighed and watched as Lou stood staring in the mirror, pulling her altered green and gold Celtic cross shirt down. She had turned it into a tank top and cut the collar, she knew Stephen wouldn't complain about a bit of cleavage. "Do I look okay?" She caught him staring at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Ah...Er...Yeh look good." He turned back to rummage through his suitcase. She sighed, ever since her encounter with Brett he had been funny with her. She left the small shower room, slowing pacing her way towards him. Her hand reached out landing softly on his firm bicep. He glanced at her hand letting his eyes travel up to her blue orbs.

"Stephen -"

"Ah'm not jealous." He stared defiantly at her, unsure of why those were his choice of words.

"What?" He ran a hand over his facial hair as she stood astonished at his outburst.

"Forget it." She frowned at his unusual behaviour letting her hand drop to her side.

"I won't forget it, what's wrong?"

"What's yeh history wit' Brett?"

"Do you think that's any of your business?"

"In fact Ah think Ah do lass."

"Is this you trying to convince me you're not jealous?" She laughed at him; he frowned and lunged for her. His hands framed her face and his lips came crashing down on hers. He almost knocked her off her feet, but his big arms wrapped around her crushing her against his chest. He pressed a kiss to her nose and rested his forehead against hers.

"Ah'm jealous, Ah want yeh all to meself, Lou. It's not professional, but Ah can't help how Ah feel." Lou stared wide eyed at his confession. It was clear there was a spark between them from day one, but she didn't realise how much she had affected him. He swallowed hard as she didn't say anything back, maybe she didn't want him, and maybe she wanted Brett instead. She saw a flash of insecurity pass through his clear grey eyes. "Yeh don't feel the same do yeh? Ah should'ah kept me big mouth shut."

"You really like me?"

"Ah thought that was pretty obvious, love." He had spilled his heart out, now waiting for her reaction.

"I like you too; I thought that was pretty obvious."

"Yeh do?"

"Yes and not just because you're my pro, or because you have the body of a god although that is a bonus. You're a really great guy, Ste." The smile that graced his face spread across his features, lighting up his eyes.

"Ah'd like to take yeh ou' on a date, if yeh'll let me?"

"For a burger?" She grinned hoping he would find the humour in her joke. His lips were pressed firmly together, no sign of laughter anywhere to be seen. "Sorry." She instantly regretted her little joke. "I would love to go on a date with you."

"Yeh would?" She almost had to laugh; never in a million years would she have thought the man in front of her would be second guessing himself. She leant forward and pressed her lips against his lightly. She figured that would answer her question. A bang on the door ruined their moment.

"Sheamus! You're on in 10!"

"Yeh ready, lass?" She nodded; she couldn't wait especially once she found out what she would be doing. Stephen smirked; he took off his shirt and workout shorts, putting them into his suitcase. She let him be as he got in the zone, putting on his crown and cape. His sceptre rested against the bench.

"Doesn't this whole gimmick get annoying?"

"Ah'm getting to wrestle, that's all Ah care about."

"What about this losing streak?" He sighed at her question, not one ounce of control was held over this storyline. But he couldn't wait to win a match again.

"Come on." He opened the door for her wanting to drop the subject; He smiled, letting her walk out in front of him. He didn't want to think about his unfortunate but unavoidable losing streak, he also didn't want to think about Lou going on that date with Brett. She linked her arm with his as they made their way backstage.

"Lou?" They both turned around to see Ted DiBiase; he was just leaving one of the locker rooms.

"Hey Ted." He hugged her quickly before turning his gaze to the Celtic warrior. Stephen stared on as Ted let go of his pro.

"How's NXT going?"

"Great, it's so much fun and-"

"We have to go." Lou looked up to Stephen as he gripped onto her wrist.

"Yeah I guess, maybe we can catch up another time." She smiled widely as he nodded.

"It's a date, just give me a call." He winked and left the pair to it, walking down the corridor they had just come from.

"Any more DiBiase's Ah should watch out fer? What's the deal wit' Ted?"

"He's married Stephen."

"Yeah and that didn't stop Ches, did it?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? I have male friends you know; before I met you. You're just my pro, you don't have a say over anything else. Got it?" She stormed away from him; the red soles of her heels flashing quickly as she made her way down the corridor. He sighed; his losing streak was cursing him out of the ring too.

Lou stood against the ropes, her eyes landed to Stephen who was pacing up and down. She knew he was in Sheamus mode; she also knew she had contributed to a lot of the aggression he was about to let out on his opponent. She finally thought they were over the small bump in their relationship. She moved over to him and gripped onto his arm stopping his movements. "Good luck." She spoke quietly as Santino Marella's music hit, his on-screen girlfriend Tamina by his side. Lou made her way down the steel steps, coming to stand by the side of the ring in front of the announce table. As soon as the bell rung Stephen had the upper hand.

Lou knew what she had to do; she glanced at Tamina who stood with her hands against the apron. She smirked up at Stephen who glanced down at her; his eyes were glazed over with rage. She moved around the ring toward the Diva, before Tamina had time to think Lou ran at her, knocking her to the floor with a devastating clothes line. She turned to the ring seeing Santino about to hit the cobra. She slipped under the bottom rope and pulled Santino's leg, he fell to the mat face first. The crowd erupted into a chorus of boos. The bell rang and she glanced up just in time to see the ref signalling a DQ. Stephen was fuming as she slipped out of the ring towards the ramp; just another loss to add to the streak.

~#~

"I'm going for a shower." Katie didn't look him in the eye as threw her gym bag down onto the floor and then chucked her hoodie across the hotel room, aiming for her pro on the other side of the bed.

"Woah, what's with the hostility?" Stu shouted, grabbing the hoodie in his large palm. He placed it on the comforter and approached her at the bathroom door. "Don't throw your stuff at me."

"You're pissing me the fuck off. You can't leave me alone for two minutes."

"I thought you liked it that way." He grinned. "Besides, monitoring you is a good way to think up punishments for that whole 'handcuffing me to a radiator and leaving your friends to find me' thing."

"You deserved that." She laughed bitterly, turning back to him. "It's like I said before, you don't give me my rewards then I'll take them from you." Stu watched her walk further into the en suite of their shared hotel room. She clutched a make-up wipe in her hand, swiping it over her face to rid her of the products she had put on for the show earlier. He crept behind her, an amazing feat for such a big guy, talking to her reflection in the circular mirror. She caught the look in his eyes, the jade green colour striking in a room of pure white. The Englishman leant down to her shoulder, simply whispering into her ear with his deep brogue.

"You won't win." She bit her lip, trying to hold her tongue but to no avail. The wipe was placed in the bin underneath the basin before she twisted around in his arms, forcefully pushing him away from her.

"Being around you twenty-four-seven is punishment enough, don't you think?" Katie tilted her head expecting a response, instead receiving another smirk. That was just as smart as his arrogant remarks. She screwed up her face, shoving him out of the bathroom and slamming the door. "Get fucked, Bennett."

He listened to the water being turned on through the wooden barricade and sighed deeply, kicking off his shoes and then balling his socks up and throwing them into his suitcase. It was clear that when she told him to get fucked that she was playing her usual game. Maybe he did want to 'get fucked'. Stu waited a few moments to collect his thoughts before strolling into the bathroom like nobody's business. He flushed the toilet in the corner of the room, smirking afterwards with his arms crossed over his broad chest. The next thing he heard was a shriek from his rookie; the water had turned stone cold right in the middle of her relaxing shower. He shouted over her squeals in the small room.

"Water a little too cold for you, love?" She pushed the glass door of the shower half-open, growling and gritting her teeth, knowing that 'love' was said in spite.

"What the fuck is your problem? Do you want me to catch hypothermia?" Stu chuckled at her anger, frustration taking her voice to higher octaves than either of them thought possible. She let out a long breath in an attempt to calm herself down. "You know what? Don't answer that just give me my towel and I'll go and shower elsewhere."

"What? This towel?" He picked up the fresh, warm white towel from the heated rail and held it out to her, shaking his head. "I don't think so." Katie groaned, holding her hand out of the half-open frosted glass door gesturing to him to give her the towel. She took a deep breath to calm her shivering body.

"Give it to me right now." Stu smirked at her words, his thin lips curving into an evil simper.

"Did I hear you correctly? You want me to _give it_ to you?" She poked her head around the shower door, her eyes narrowing and water dripping from her nose.

"Don't."

"No, no. You said that you want me to give it to you. Perhaps I do owe you one, for that win at FCW..." He threw the towel to the bathroom floor before stepping closer to the shower. Katie stared at his figure through the glass, her hot breath fanning across it, obscuring her vision further. With every step he took, Stu removed more clothing; his shirt and dress pants were dropped to the floor one after the other with soft thuds, Katie's breathing was getting heavier as he got nearer to the shower. The water had gotten back to a regulated temperature; steam was rising fast over the top of the cubicle, and droplets were streaming down the curve of her spine.

"What are you doing?" Her voice had a hint of playfulness; she knew exactly what he was doing. It seemed as if he was testing her with everything that he had. He stood naked in front of the frosted glass, a mass of tanned skin distorted by it. She felt the warmth of his hand on top of hers as she gripped the edge of the door, defeated as he pushed it open with ease. He licked his lips before stepping inside the cubicle with her.

"Just shut your mouth for once, Katie."

"Or what? Are you going to shut it for me?" No words were needed; his answer was on her lips as soon as she let out a breath. He cupped her face in his hands pulling her back under the hot water gushing out of the shower head, pooling around their feet and into the drain. She squeezed her eyes shut as the kiss intensified and the water soaked their bodies; their tongues mingled together, Stu gaining the upper hand with the required agility. He stepped forwards, pushing her back against the cold, tiled wall and out of the way of the torrent of water. Katie bit her lip as he smoothed his dark wet hair back, his muscles flexing whilst doing so. He stood under the water with his eyes closed, letting the spray cleanse his skin, leaving tiny droplets behind on the tanned surface. She knew he was teasing her, waiting for her to make the next move; to give in.

And give in she did. She trailed a questing finger from the top of his pectorals, down his torso to his abdominals. Stu tensed them, watching her movements intently and silently willing her to go lower. Her fingertips lightly pressed in the indents before she got to her knees and used her tongue instead. A moan escaped him at the feeling of her tongue trailing his hard muscles, dipping lower to brush against his throbbing member. She gripped her hand around his velvety flesh, her eyes flicking up his body to meet his intense stare. He raised his eyebrows suggestively once, smirking down at her; she took the blunt tip of him into her hot mouth, suckling gently. Her tongue swirled around the tip in a circular motion; Stu pulled the shower head away from her so that the water was trickling down her back instead of directly on top of her head, a tickling sensation whipped down her spine. She giggled against him, the vibrations around his cock causing him to groan and grip his hands in her soaking wet hair. He guided her up and down his length as she sucked him deep into her mouth; his mind was swimming with desire, he was about ready to explode. The feeling of her rhythmic hand wasn't helping matters either; he suddenly pulled her off of him, forcing her to stand.

"Well, that's one thing I don't have to teach you..." He whispered in her ear to which she pushed herself flush against him in answer and mewled when he trailed his lips along her neckline. She tilted her head to the side, allowing him more of her soft skin to feast on like a hungry animal; she could feel his hands dipping from her shoulder blades down to the curve of her backside. He reached her jaw with his lips, grazing his teeth against her before sucking on her ear lobe. Katie opened her eyes after momentarily letting them slip shut; there was no doubt in either of their minds that they were both enjoying this. She almost fell into his arms when he brought his large palm hard onto her rounded cheek; she braced herself on his biceps from the impact, a small yelp sounding in the steamy atmosphere. That spank was for Stu's compromising position in handcuffs. He smirked against her lips, pushing his forceful tongue through the once-firm seam when she parted her lips in a breath.

Stu slipped his hand in between her thighs, licking his lips hungrily. She groaned when he curled his forefinger down her silken folds and teased her entrance, slick and ready for him. He grinned when she rocked her hips against his talented digits, moving languidly inside her, pressing down on her spot; he locked his lips with hers once more, pulling his fingers away and lifting her to him. Her back sliding against the cold tiled wall was too much of a strange contrast, a shiver coursing through her because of it. He held the back of one of her thighs in each hand, opening her to him completely. She gasped when he entered her swiftly, his member immediately becoming accustomed to the warmth by plunging into her. His thrusts were leisurely, much like his fingers, for a reason. He wanted to draw out the pleasure they were feeling, which wasn't much of a punishment when it all came down to it. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist in the hope of guiding him deeper into her; her honeyed depths swallowing just over half of his length. Stu grazed his teeth across her collarbone as he began to thrust faster; she bounced on top of him, screaming when he hit the spot within her that was the most sensitive. He was quick to halt his movements, covering her mouth with his hand and breathing heavily into her ear.

"You want your friends to hear you next door?" She shook her head defiantly, no. No one was allowed to know what they were up to. "Think you could keep quiet then?" She shook her head another time to which he smirked devilishly. The woman was powerless to resist his advances, no control over her body anymore.

He kept his hand clasped firmly over her mouth as he began to find his rhythm again; her moans were muffled but they spurred him on even more. She was kind of thankful that he had given her bruised wrists a rest, instead rubbing over her clit with his thumb to match his thrusts. He looked down at her with the most arrogant look he could muster. It was then that she realised why he had fucked her from behind the last time; at least from behind she didn't have to see his smug face. She hated how one minute there was a hint of lust between them and then the next minute she wanted the smack the look right off of his face. It wasn't just the fact that their relationship was explosive; she also hated that she was having the best sex of her entire life and she couldn't brag to anyone about it. He kept the pressure on her clit as his thrusts became demanding and possessive, Katie slipping up and down the wall in the process. She groaned into his hand, biting down on it when she came undone; her legs were quivering, walls contracting and tightening around his still pulsing member. He braced the tiled wall with both hands, her grip around his waist was greater as he let go of her. She lifted her head from his shoulder to meet his gaze, a sincere smile spreading across his lips as he leant his forehead against hers and released into her. His thrusts returned to their languid state prior to halting completely.

They stood under the torrent of hot water together, his arms wrapped around her from behind. He placed a slow kiss on her bare shoulder, nuzzling his nose against her skin. Katie frowned, she didn't think that sort of affection was part of the deal. She let out a laboured breath before speaking in the silence of the bathroom.

"Maybe we...shouldn't cuddle." Stu loosened his grip on her, almost immediately pulling away and shutting off the water.

"Yeah."

"You know, I never had you down as the cuddling type."

"I'm not." He defended. "I don't know what came over me."

"Yeah, what on earth possessed you to want to wrap your arms around my shuddering, naked body?" There was a hint of tease in her voice; she had caught him out of character and now he was putting up that wall once more.

"I don't know what possessed me but I won't make that mistake again." Stu mumbled, opening the frosted glass door and climbing out without a second glance. He walked back up to the shower once he had pulled a towel around his hips, holding one out for her to take. "Here." She scowled when he left the bathroom, leaving her to dry herself off.

"Now who's the hostile one?" When Katie walked into the bedroom, Stu had gotten changed into a pair of basketball shorts and was busy closing the blinds at the large windows.

"I think I'm going to get an early night." He spoke, turning around upon hearing her drop her towel. She pulled on a pair of purple lace panties and the Englishman's dress shirt, the middle two buttons done up to cover her body slightly. He hated how great she looked in his shirt; something about a woman wearing his discarded clothes after sleeping together really made him happy. "Perhaps you should too."

"Wait," Katie hushed, gripping onto his bicep. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?"

"Don't you have something to cuddle before you fall asleep?" She pouted, speaking in a baby voice to which he let out a frustrated groan. "Like a teeny-weenie teddy bear?"

"Very funny, Katie."

"I'm being serious; I figured that seeing as you liked to cuddle so much you'd have a companion..." He pulled back the covers, sitting on the edge of the bed, fluffing up his pillow. She smirked in response to his silence. "...Or do you just hug your pillow?"

"Neither."

"Are you being short with me because you're embarrassed? Have I embarrassed you?"

"I'm not embarrassed at all." He dismissed, speaking softer than before. "I'm just concerned that you don't like closeness."

"I can't get close to anyone emotionally. It's not just you so don't flatter yourself thinking that I'm scared of feeling something for you." She ran a hand through her towel-dried locks, climbing into the other side of the bed. "Ugh, I don't want to talk about this. I'm sleeping now." She shut off the bedside lamp, her back to him. Stu let out the biggest sigh he could muster; they had gone from fighting to mind-blowing sex and then back to fighting again. That seemed like the vicious cycle they were going to be stuck in for a long while, seeing as she felt as if she couldn't let anyone in. Not that he really cared; they were just fuck buddies, rewarding the good behaviour and punishing the bad. He was Stu Bennett; he didn't have to worry about anyone but himself.

**A/N – Thank you ThatGirl54, crazylilbitch, nefertina-shanf, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx, wades wife, DeansTrueGirl, Chelle, wwemagpie, kimcooperx and Noellia for the lovely reviews. We really hope you keep reading as we have a lot of plans for this story :). Lou, Katie and Chesca x**


	8. Making Up And Making Out

**Chapter 8 – **_**Making Up and Making Out**_

Katie and Lou strolled backstage from the locker room after just receiving a text from Chesca to meet her in catering. As they entered the small room filled with a variety of foods and beverages they spotted Chesca sandwiched between Stu and Stephen.

"How were your drinks with Ted last night?" Stephen perked up and stopped listening to Stu as Chesca spoke.

"Great, lots of words of encouragement. He would make an excellent pro." Katie glanced at Stephen, the thick vein in his neck prominent whilst he tried to keep calm as Lou's chirpy voice sounded.

"Yeh kidding lass? Better than a two time WWE champion?" Lou turned to her pro as he seemingly pushed himself into the conversation. Lou flicked her eyes up to meet Stu's gaze.

"Better than having a controlling jackass for a pro." She turned her attention back to Katie and Chesca. "Ted and Brett have been so lovely. Especially Brett, he's taught me so much." Both girls nodded, they knew. They had always been close in FCW.

Lou glanced between Chesca and Katie then returned her gaze to Stephen. His lips were pressed into a thin line; an amused look was plastered on his friend's face. Stu shook his head at Stephen's attitude; he should have known better than to have been caught in the middle of three feisty ladies, unless they were naked of course. He snickered under his breath and watched his rookie take a gulp of water, swiping her tongue over her lips to catch a stray droplet of water.

"Could you imagine Ted and Brett? That would be one hell of a threesome." Katie spoke up earning a grumble from Stephen and a giggle from the two girls either side of her. Stu laughed at his rookie, she was doing a damn good job of pissing his friend off.

"I'm imagining it right now." Lou grinned and closed her eyes; they immediately shot open when she heard the scraping of Stephen's chair on the floor. She opened them just in time to see him walking out of catering and away from her. She rolled her eyes. "I guess I have some grovelling to do." She waved a quick goodbye and ran off after him.

"Don't bother, Lou."

"Stephen, I was just joking around!"

"Yeh get a kick out of tormenting me do yeh?" He whipped around which startled her. He had become pretty unstable real quick. She placed her hands on his wide chest to stop herself from crashing into him.

"That's what we do, we're girls!" He took hold of her hands and removed them from his chest; the warmth seeping from her hands into his chest was too much.

"Katie's a bad influence on you."

Lou scoffed. "And Stu's a bad influence on Katie. I think he's hurting her."

Stephen frowned. "Don't make up bullshit, Lou. It doesn't suit yeh."

"Why the hell would I lie about something like this? He keeps such a tight hold on her; he's taking this pro thing too seriously! Me and Chesca both saw the bruises on her wrists." Lou wafted her hands around in an effort to get her point across.

He ran a hand over his face. This wasn't how things were supposed to turn out with his rookie; ever since their encounter in her hotel room things had been turned upside down. "I don't believe yeh." Lou swallowed hard; shocked that he would think she would make up something so terrible.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "Maybe Brett was right." She turned on her heel, ready to return back to catering. He caught her wrist and spun her back around.

"What did yeh say?" His steely gaze was harsh, burning into her eyes. "This fella doesn't have a clue about me." She shook her hand free from his grip.

"No and neither do I." She walked away from him, shaking her head at his recent behaviour.

* * *

The yellow and purple lights danced around the NXT arena; the rookies had entered one after the other, all while the five WWE pros watched, sitting comfortably on their chairs on the right side of the stage. Chesca couldn't help but sigh as she saw Sheamus smiling and slightly waving at her blonde friend, same with the Nexus leader sending a cocky smirk to the Londoner. The half-Italian felt a lump in her throat as she thought that Hunter should have been sitting right next to the two Europeans; still, there wasn't much time left until she would have found out who would be guiding her through the competition.

"Ladies, pros," Matt Striker said, from the middle of the ring, "Welcome to NXT." The host gave the crowd a few minutes to express their excitement, before bringing the microphone to his lips again. "This third week will be very important, because one of you girls will be going home. But first, I'm sure everyone has noticed that there's someone missing tonight." The camera hesitated on the empty chair next to Barrett, and Lou took the chance to send a smile to the worried young rookie; she knew that past week had been hard for her, but she truly hoped that things would be going better for her from now on.

"Titania, step forward," the dark haired man said, "Before we head on to discover who your new pro is, there's a very special message for you, from The Game himself." Chesca raised an eyebrow; Hunter hadn't told her anything about this video that was to air during that episode, and she surely was curious about what he wanted to say to her especially in front of a big audience. The half-Italian rookie did as she was told, and turned her back to the ring so she could lift her head up and look at the titantron, her hands on her hips as the chatter in the crowd began to rise.

Trips appeared on the huge screen, black shades on his eyes and a soft smile on his lips as he slightly waved, "I'm here to tell you, that I've chosen the perfect pro for you." The half-Italian thought that any other WWE Superstar but him couldn't have been that perfect for her, but she decided to keep on listening to him.

"See, you're of these women that had fought their way to the top, without even doubting for a second that they'd have made it. Well, your new mentor is someone that has never stopped believing in himself," he added, taking the sunglasses off and looking directly at the camera, "And who has certainly made an impact around here. He swore to me he'll get you to win this competition, and I trust him, so," he ended his speech, "I wish the best of luck to you both." As he winked one of his hazel eyes, the screen turned black and the video ended; even the girls on stage shot confused look at each other. Hunter hadn't even said who this fantastic new pro would have been.

Chesca scratched the back of her head, and turned to look at Striker. The host lifted the hand holding the microphone to his lips, about to say something: as he opened his mouth to speak, the lights went out all at once, and the crowd exploded. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt heavy steps behind her on the metallic stage; she swallowed a lump, everything was so black that she tried to sneak a peak of who had just appeared, but the only thing she could see was a big shadow.

"Shit Lou," Katie grabbed her blonde friend's forearm, her slim fingers holding tight, "Ches got The Undertaker!"

"Don't be stupid, he's not even around anymore..."

"You can check it out yourself, just wait."

The lights came back to the arena and everyone just looked in amazement at the man that was now next to Chesca; long brown hair in a pony tail on his back, a sculpted, tan physique proudly standing on stage, the unique features of his face like his blue eyes shining, and the smirk plastered on his lips meaning nothing but business.

"Make me think about something awful, mate," Wade Barrett whispered to his Irish friend, biting hard on his lower lip, "because I'm about to burst into laughter." Sheamus looked at the man next to her rookie's friend, and couldn't help letting out a laugh after he had found out who he was.

The half-Italian couldn't believe her eyes when she saw him. What were the odds that Triple H could have chosen the man she wanted to avoid the most on the entire WWE Roster as her new pro?

"Oh," the Londoner pouted, "It's only Drew."

"This is not good." Lou immediately looked at Chesca; saying she was petrified by terror and astonishment would have been an understatement. Drew McIntyre just couldn't be her pro; it would have only caused her to get distracted by the married idiot.

"Titania," Striker said, holding a hand out to point at the long haired Scotsman, "Your new pro is Drew McIntyre!" The crowd exploded in a mixture of boos and screams, as Chesca stood there with her jaw clenched, "And tonight the affinity with your new mentor will be tested, in a tag team match against Arabella and Wade Barrett!" Katie and the half-Italian immediately glanced at each other; they already knew they were going to have a match against each other, but Drew wasn't totally planned to be there, and that would have made things definitely harder.

As the program went on a commercial break, Chesca shot a glare at Drew. He looked down to her, the cocky smirk he had on screen suddenly turning into a frown.

"Why you?"

"D'ye really think Ah knew this was coming?" The Scotsman said to her, following her as she rushed backstage, "Hunter came tae me yesterday and asked me tae do this, what was ah s'pposed tae say, huh?"

"No!" Chesca shot back, her hair whipping around her head as she turned on her wrestling boots to face the tall man, "You were supposed to say no!"

"Really!" Drew sarcastically said, widening his arms, "M'Ah future's at risk every day and Ah shouldn't do what the boss' son-in-law tells me?" The girl angrily folded her arms on her chest. She didn't want to admit that he was right; she understood him, having always put her career ahead of everything.

"Listen, I-"

"No'," McIntyre said, his hands gently gripping onto her bare shoulders. "Ye listen tae me. M'Ah job's going tae be to protect ye, teach ye, and get ye to the final." He continued, leaning down to speak in a lower voice. "Ah have tae do it; Ah want ye tae forgive me, and this is ho'u Ah'll convince ye to do it."

Chesca looked up, scouting into Drew's hypnotic blue orbs; everything inside her didn't want to have anything to do with him, for he had hurt her too much to be forgiven that easily. Now though, that man had been personally chosen by her childhood hero to make sure she was going to be the next WWE Diva. Chesca felt he was being sincere to her, and probably she should have just given him the chance to prove her he wasn't the complete asshole she had started to think he was.

"I trust Trips' decision," she finally sighed, brushing a hand through her wavy brown hair, "So I guess I'll just...let you accomplish your mission." Drew smiled a sweet smile of hope as he heard her say those words; he let her go, and politely lent her a hand.

"Rookie," he said, winking an eye, "Tonight we start again. Yes?" Chesca placed her small hand in his bigger one, firmly shaking it.

"Alright." She answered, a little laugh leaving her glossy lips, "Better go get ready for the match. I'll see you in a while." Drew nodded, and looked at her as she walked away towards the locker rooms. And he smiled, thinking that maybe the wind had finally started blowing his way.

* * *

Stu watched his rookie pace up and down behind the curtains. The tag team match they were about to embark in would test the relationship they had built; though the relationship was unsteady to say the least. He needed to make sure Katie would listen to him, do as he said to make sure they won; something she had a hard time doing as of late.

"Katie." Stu bellowed startling her slightly. He beckoned her over to him, wanting her to focus before they went out to the ring.

Turning her attention to her pro, Katie sighed. "What?"

"I need to talk to you, come here now." Rolling her eyes, Katie moved closer to Stu. She was trying to get into character and this wasn't helping. "We need to win."

"No shit." Katie held her hand up to stop Stu from speaking. "I'll do what I usually do and that's go out and win, okay?"

"Do you think you can do that? Because if you don't there will be severe consequences." He stepped closer to her, towering over her petite frame.

"I've been doing it since day one." Katie turned, returning to where she had previously been stood. She didn't need Stu to tell her win; that was the only thing she had come here to do.

"Get ready tae lose, Bennett." Drew sauntered through to where Stu and Katie were preparing for the match. Chesca was behind him, clearly still uneasy with Drew being her pro.

"That's never happened and never will happen." Stu grinned, a smirk creeping across his face as he sized up with Drew. Although friends, the pair were deeply competitive and that would no doubt be seen in the match.

* * *

"That's it! Pin her and we're out of here!" Barrett yelled as Katie delivered her female opponent a devastating bodyslam, preparing her so she could execute her final move from the third rope; Drew was staring with gritted teeth at the scene in front of his eyes. It wasn't how things were supposed to go, and he knew that his now rookie could definitely do better.

"Come on!" He tried to encourage her, his growling low voice reaching up to Chesca's ears as the girl lay on the mat taking deep breaths and waiting for Katie to dive on her.

The Englishwoman took her time to smirk at Barrett before performing her move, but that was probably the first thing not to do; only a handful of seconds away from the impact, the half-Italian gathered her last forces to roll on herself and avoid her friend's diving elbow, causing her to miss the chance to end the match and instead opening that possibility for the Scotsman and his rookie.

Stretching her arm to the limit so she could reach for Drew's hand, the young woman tagged him. In the roar of the crowd, he got inside the ring like a lightning, as the Nexus leader - probably while cursing in every language he knew - did the same thing, finding himself directly facing his former tag team partner. Katie shook her head rolling out of the ring, as McIntyre charged her pro in what looked like an endless series of hip tosses, the mat rumbling with every hit of the Englishman's massive body crashing on it.

With her forearms on the apron, Chesca watched her new mentor trying everything he could to stop Wade's attacks, until Barrett decided to lift one of his long legs in the moment McIntyre had run the ropes; the big boot that collided with the Scottish wrestler's jaw made the half-Italian cringe in pain for him. He raised an arm high in the air in a taunt, to both the WWE Universe and his opponents, a cocky smirk plastered on his face. The crowd's boos were deafening; he would never be able to get them on his side but he really didn't care. Being in one of the most formidable factions in the history of the company, the man wasn't around to make any friends. Wade hoisted himself onto the second turnbuckle, preparing to drop an elbow onto the fallen Scotsman. Katie stood on the apron, an unreadable expression on her face; he never managed to execute the move successfully when he tried to previously so she wasn't expecting anything exciting from him now. For a big guy he could certainly fly through the air; the ring shook as he landed on the blank canvas, Drew rolling out of the way just in time. Clearly too much showboating from the Englishman had allowed him to catch his breath. Katie watched her pro writhe around in pain, a small smile on her face. Chesca banged on the turnbuckle in her corner to will Drew to regain composure; it wasn't that she liked working with him, it was the fact that she really needed a win if she was to stay in the competition. He managed to get to his feet before Wade with the help of the ropes, pulling himself up.

"Get up, for god's sake." Katie shouted across to her pro, who was still clutching his elbow, pain evident on his scrunched up features. He glanced at her, teeth gritting; it appeared to be a repeat of their first ever match together, except she was now yelling at him instead of the other way around. Too much time was spent arguing; Drew spun him round, landing a boot to the midsection, causing Wade to double over. In no time, Drew had hit him with his Future Shock DDT and covered him for the win; Chesca's first win on the show. The referee signalled for the bell and raised both their hands in victory as Katie backed her way up the ramp, leaving Wade lying in the middle of the ring.

After Madison had successfully beaten Brandi with little to no effort and Angelina had taken a brutal beat down from Natalya, all of the rookies were stood in a line in the middle of the ring waiting to find their fate. The first elimination was about to take place. The pros were sat in their usual spots at the top of the ramp after voting for which rookie they thought was best. The public had voted for which rookie they wanted to leave.

Matt Striker stood beside the girls, awaiting the result. "Ladies and gentlemen, pros and rookies, it's time to find out who is going home." Everyone turned to the titantron; the first name to pop up was Madison, much to Katie's displeasure. Stu stood up slamming his fist onto the seat of the stool, he soon calmed down as 'Arabella' appeared under Madison's name on the screen. Liberty followed, clearly pleased that even though she had been out of action she still had the potential to win. Titania appeared after; her win with Drew had obviously pushed her up the ladder a bit. It was now between Angelina and Brandi, both of whom had been defeated that evening. As soon as Angelina appeared at number 5 in the rankings, confirming that the plastic Barbie doll would be leaving the competition. Brandi threw a hissy fit, screaming and stomping around the ring before pummelling Striker with her fists.

Lou had seen enough; though the woman that had annoyed her since day one was gone she wouldn't mind getting in one last attack. Katie shook her head as she saw what her friend was about to do, not wanting her to get injured anymore than she already was. Lou ran at Brandi, spearing her to the opposite end of the ring. Slipping out of the ring Lou rushed up the ramp and headed backstage, ignoring the pros and the mess left in the ring.

* * *

Lou knocked on Stephen's hotel room door; they had unfinished business. She heard movement behind the door before it swung open revealing the Irishman in nothing but a pair of gym shorts. She had seen him in less but the waistband of those shorts was teasing her. "Hi." She brushed past him, not waiting for him to invite her into his suite.

"Something wrong, lass?"

"What do you want from me?" He shut the door and turned to her.

"As a rookie, Ah guess-" She held up her hand to stop him.

"No. As a woman, what do you want from me?"

"Ah don't understand, what yeh getting at?"

"Why does Brett bother you so damn much?" She watched as Stephen moved around her and shut off the television.

"Yeh want to date Brett then?" She shook her head and took another step closer to him. "Have yeh thought about it?"

"I've only had thoughts about one man during my time here, Stephen." She was close enough to touch him, close enough to smell his cologne. She wanted to run her hands though his hair and bury her head into his thick neck.

"Do Ah dare ask?"

"I don't think you should. They're pretty naughty thoughts."

"Oh aye." She pushed her hand against his bare chest. "Tell me."

"What if I showed you?" His eyes widened and she slipped both hands up his pectorals to his wide shoulders. Her hands slipped to the back of his neck and he swallowed the lump in the throat. He held her gaze as her body pressed against his. "Do you want me to show you?" He found it hard to speak but managed to nod. She smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I'll be wearing something for your pleasure tonight, and then I'll let you rip it off me later, if you please." She stepped away from him. "See you soon, Stephen." She walked away from him and out of his room.

Stephen knew she was only a few doors down. Groaning, he ran a hand through his hair and made his way to the shower; the aching against his gym shorts sealed the deal. If she wanted her dress ripping off, he would be more than happy to do so.

* * *

Stephen groaned as Stu elbowed him in the ribs. "What yeh doing, fella?" Stu nodded towards the elevators as they opened into the lobby. Chesca, Lou and Katie all stepped off in unison chatting away amongst each other. Lou had on a fuchsia sequined silk Ashish dress, the material flowing and shimmering as she moved across the hotel lobby, arm in arm with Chesca to offer some support in her 5 inch nude Christian Louboutin pumps. Chesca was wearing a simple black Miu Miu dress, the waist pulled in with a thin gold belt. Katie walked beside them, her A.L.C nude asymmetric ruching dress covering her like a second skin; there was no need for any statement jewellery, the dress had crossover straps and a gathered narrow back which added another dimension to the otherwise plain design.

Drew was about to approach Chesca, but she swiftly averted his gaze and unhooked her arm from Lou's. She quickly headed for the doors, needing some fresh air.

"What's up wit' her?" Drew asked Lou as she and Katie approached the three men waiting for them.

"She's just..." Lou started but really didn't know what to say.

"Go away Drew." Katie rolled her eyes at him before turning her attention to Stu. He was clearly enjoying the banter between his rookie and good friend. Out of his eye he saw Stephen leave his side and approach Lou; he had been told what she had said to him earlier so there was no doubting the pair would be inseparable for the night.

Stu looked his rookie up and down, the dress she had on catching his attention. He smiled, approving of the attire. That evening he was proud she had done well at coming number two in the rankings, but that wasn't quite good enough. They both wanted to be number one at everything, maybe he needed to instil that in his rookie some more.

"You scrub up well." Stu spoke quickly, watching her analyse what he was wearing much like he had just done.

"Shame you don't." Katie smiled and smoothed down her dress, her dazzling smile toying with him.

"Yeh ready to go now?" Stephen spoke up before Stu could get one up on Katie, he would have to wait till later for that.

The group arrived at the club only a few blocks away from the hotel. Stu had yet to pitch his comeback at Katie as she had walked most of the way with Lou clinging onto her arm as Stephen was busy consoling Drew. Stu had listened to Stephen trying to give Drew advice although he knew telling him anything was futile; he would do what he wanted with who he wanted.

Lou ordered a round of shots, the various colours of liquid lined up ready to be downed in a second. Katie grabbed one, followed by the other two girls.

"Here's to Katie getting laid tonight!" The New Yorker shouted a little too loud; various people nearby glanced at the table. Stu brushed his large hand on Katie's exposed thigh under the table, his nimble fingers lightly grazing her smooth skin; clearly signalling that no matter what happened, she was going to be punished or rewarded one way or another later on. One of the young men got up from one of the tables across the club and casually made his way over to the already crowded booth; the dim lighting made him unrecognisable at first. It was only when he reached the dance floor that it was obvious from the slicked back bleach-blond hair and skin-tight t-shirt that it was Nick Nemeth, otherwise known as Dolph Ziggler in the wrestling world.

"It's all going on over here I see." He laughed, setting his eyes particularly on the English rookie sat next to her glaring pro. She smiled warmly before downing her shot.

"Hey, Ziggles."

"Alright, fella?"

"Care to join?" Lou nodded at the full booth, clearly hinting that he should take a seat somehow. Nick shrugged, noticing the empty shot glasses stacked in the middle of the table. He watched them all clutch their second shots, everyone but Stu.

"Oh, I...er...don't have a drink."

"Here, have Stu's shot." Katie pushed it towards him, ignoring the glower that her pro was aiming at her. "He's being an arse and doesn't want to play as usual." He attempted to retrieve his alcohol from Nick's hand, but he smirked instead, adding to Stu's anger.

"I never said that I didn't want to play your idiotic drinking games."

"Shut up, you didn't have to; the popping vein in your forehead says it all. You need to learn to relax." Everyone around the table laughed at their bickering; Chesca smiled across at Nick, feeling the need to speak and make herself known to the Superstar.

"Lou just bought a selection; it's kind of like a shot roulette, you don't really know which one you're going to pick up." Katie squeezed up next to Lou and Stephen, pulling Stu with her to make a space for the newcomer. The Englishman's jaw was clenched, his hands balled into fists under the table; he didn't want to move. She was going to have to coax it out of him to be nice for once.

"Shuffle up, Stuart, come on, let him in." He did as he was told hesitantly and watched as Nick leant across the table, his forearm resting on the wooden surface, and his eyes taking in the Londoner's appearance.

"You look really pretty tonight, Katie."

"Thank you." She could feel herself blushing from the compliment; Stu was in the middle of the exchange, rolling his eyes so far into the back of his head they could have sprouted through his hair to look behind him. "You look great too."

"I guess a congratulations is in order for the three of you ladies. You survived the first culling."

"Awh, you're too sweet, Ziggles."

"We're just getting rid of the riff-raff. The competition doesn't really begin until us lot are the final three."

"And we will be!" Lou said matter-of-factly before looking up at Stephen. "When it happens, I'll owe it all to my pro..."

"Yeh know that yeh'll be in the final three easily? Yeh don't owe me anythin', love." She batted her lashes at him and kept her voice low to his ear.

"Maybe later I will."

"Ah'm holdin' yeh to it." He whispered back before turning his attention to the disgruntled Englishman to his right. "Yer a bit quiet, Stu..."

"I'm fine." He didn't even look in his direction as he spoke; everyone around the table didn't really understand why he was so rigid and unresponsive.

"Yeh sure?"

"Uh huh."

"Then get that stick out of your arse and have a little fun." She honestly had no idea if he was even capable of having fun without taking his clothes off. "You're obviously just mad that you lost our match tonight. Get over it; I already have."

"It was your fucking fault that we lost in the first place! If you hadn't distracted me..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we've heard it all before. You can shut up now."

"I think we're all going to need some more drinks." Chesca laughed, grabbing one of the last shots on the table and swallowing the contents. She slammed the tiny glass back onto the surface and shook her head. Tonight she just wanted to get drunk, and forget about the thorn in her side.

Drew stood away from the bustle of his fellow co-workers. His lips lingered on the edge of the tall glass between his hands while his eyes glanced from time to time at the brunette woman having fun with her friends in one of the booths. He let the hint of a smile climb onto his features as he looked at his rookie; he'd have loved to just go and take her away with him, so the two could be alone and just talk. Whether he wanted to remember it or not, the golden piece of metal around his ring finger was set to remind him that he couldn't do anything but just talk to Chesca; even if him and Taryn were going through a hard time, he couldn't just keep on flirting with the half-Italian as if he was single.

"Why don't you stop staring and just go talk to her?" Natalya, in all her beauty, appeared next to the Scotsman; the blonde raised an eyebrow at the tall man, her head hinting at the rookies not far from where they were.

"Ah just don't want tae ruin her fun, ye know?" He shrugged, taking a sip from his glass again.

"You can go up to her and offer her a drink," the Canadian suggested, her hand rapidly brushing on the bigger man's forearm, "It wouldn't be like cheating on Taryn, you'd just be celebrating your first victory with your rookie." Drew swallowed hard to the word 'cheating'; he wondered if the former Divas champion actually knew something or if she had just let that flow off her tongue without thinking too much about it.

"Maybe Ah could," the man replied, in a sigh. "As long as she's done wit' Louise and Katie..." Nattie smiled back at him, happy to have convinced him into being a gentleman to the young rookie; after she had spotted Tyson Kidd further in the room, she left him there with his thoughts and his drink. He decided to leave the party for a little while, just so he could plan perfectly what to say to Chesca, in order not to screw things up for the umpteenth time. He walked out the door, making his way through the people crowding the place and directing himself to the restroom.

His big hands cupped under the stream of water in one of the sinks, before he refreshed his face and looked for a second in the mirror. Once he got out of there, he dove himself into the party again; when his electric blue eyes travelled to the booth where he thought he'd have found his rookie, his lips fell into a frown. Not only wasn't Chesca there, but there was no trace of her in the entire room. The best thing to do would have been to ask the New Yorker and the English rookie if they had seen her, but sure as hell he wasn't going to do that; they probably hated him, and they wouldn't have told him anything. His plans had turned into smoke; the chance to try and have a nice conversation with the half-Italian was, for the moment, gone. Biting on his lower lip he grabbed a stool and sat at the bar, ordering the best whiskey he could ask for; smelling the alcoholic liquid he slightly shook his head. He was probably taking his new pro job too seriously; being a grown woman, he knew that Chesca was safe somewhere else around the building. He just hoped she hadn't drunk enough to be with someone else, as well.

* * *

"I love this song." Katie squealed before glancing at Lou and nudging her in the arm. "Oh my god, do you remember when we started that dance off to this?" The New Yorker giggled, reliving the memories of them drunk dancing in the middle of a crowded dance floor. Somehow, people gradually dispersed and watched on as they moved around the circle with ridiculous moves. It was only when they were really drunk that they got like that. Usually a slow grind did the trick.

"That was both lame and hilarious. And we should totally do it again." She turned her head back to the gaze of Nick, a dazzling smile set on his lips. Everyone knew that he loved to dance; as soon as she had mentioned it his ears had perked up.

"Hey, do you wanna dance?" His question was followed by a hopeful glint in his eyes. Stu swallowed hard and took a gulp of his beer; the sooner this guy got away from the table, the better. He had never known what it was like to be in the middle of something before, but this literal demonstration was doing his head in.

"Yes! Finally someone asks..." Katie laughed, downing her last shot; the sour taste smacked the back of her throat, her head shaking quickly in a reflex. She looked up at the man next to her, her pro in the competition; her secret sexual fix. He was staring directly in front of him, a stone cold look etched on his face, his jaw still clenched. "Are you going to move out of my way so I can get past?" Stu clutched the brown bottle tighter in his hands.

"Why can't you just shuffle round the other way?"

"Why can't you just move?" She growled, her voice getting louder by the syllable. They had succeeded in making everyone in the booth incredibly uncomfortable with their fighting. Stu ignored his rookie, and indeed her defiant fierce look; her impatience was getting the better of her. "Fine, I guess I'm climbing over you then." Nick stood from the edge of the plush seating, opting to stand on the other side next to where Chesca was previously sat in order to stay out of the way. Katie lifted her leg onto the Englishman's lap, dragging it slowly across him to find her footing; he sucked in a breath as she straddled him, the slight roll of her hips teasing him to no end. He rubbed his brow with his thumb to concentrate on something other than the young woman practically dry humping him in the darkness; it was almost a lap dance, he had to fight the smile creeping onto his face. It was difficult to linger for a long time without attracting the attention of everyone else at the table; Katie climbed out of the booth seconds later, smirking at Stu as she was lead to the dance floor by the bleach-blond wrestler.

Lou leant across to speak next to Stephen's ear; the music was quickly drowning her out. His arm slipped across her shoulder to hold her close to him. "I want you." Her teeth sunk into the lobe of his ear and he almost spilt his drink. She took hold of his hand and pulled him up from the seat. He set his drink down next to Stu and allowed himself to be pulled across to the dance floor. His arm slipped around her waist as they reached the edge.

"Ah can't dance." He spoke next to her ear. She turned in his arms and stared up at him, her big blue eyes had him in a trance. The sparkle of her dress making her seem magical. Her hands slipped up to his shoulder as she pushed herself onto tiptoes.

She kissed his cheek and ran her mouth to his ear. "You dance with me, and then you can undress me in your hotel room." She pushed her body against him and brushed her lips against his. As he tried to kiss back she took to the dance floor. She blinked a few times and bit onto her bottom lip. He couldn't stop his feet from carrying himself over to her. Her body gently swayed to the rhythmic beat of the music, her dress clung to her thighs as her knees bent slightly and her hand ran across her stomach.

He was a bit stiff as he held onto her hips and moved. She rested her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. "I hope you've got better moves in the bedroom." She turned to her left and saw Katie grinding away on Nick without a care in the world. Stephen's arm around her waist made her turn to him; she ran her hands up his biceps to the back of his thick neck. His big warm hand cupped her face, he leant closer and her eyes slipped shut. The base thumped through the floor and up her body. His lips touched hers and her heart thumped too.

* * *

Katie decided to take a break from dancing, excusing herself to make her way over to the bathrooms. She teetered on her heels as she walked past the booths, Stu nowhere to be seen. Still, she carried on, the hallway suspiciously dark; she felt a hand grip her and push her against the wall. The smirk of her English pro was unmistakable. "You're getting laid tonight then, yeah?" His question came across as bitter to the Londoner; she smirked in response before dignifying it with a verbal answer.

"Apparently I don't get enough...Oh, are you offering?" She crossed her arms over her chest, unintentionally drawing more attention to her breasts, pushed up from her tight, figure-hugging dress. "Why do you care exactly?"

"I don't."

"Well you're acting like you do." Stu gritted his teeth; pulling her further into the hallway leading to the club bathrooms in order to hear her properly. She looked up at him, noticing how angry he was getting over absolutely nothing. It seemed as if he did care. In fact, it seemed as if he cared a lot. "You know we're just mucking about, you and me, right? You're the one who started this whole 'rewards' system so do not tell me that you're all jealous now..."

"Not in the slightest." He answered, a defensive tone to his already deep brogue. "Go and fuck Ziggler if you want. Like I said, I don't care."

"Then why are we having this conversation?"

"I don't want to catch some nasty disease after you've been with him, actually." Katie shook her head; she wasn't stupid. "...At least you haven't told anyone about what we've been up to. I'll give you credit for that."

"Why? Because I'm such a blabbermouth? I can keep secrets, Stu."

"Only when it matters." He pushed her shoulder, backing her up against the wall. Once defensive, now trying to gain back the control he craved. "You don't want this to get out." Katie couldn't hold back anymore; he had no right to tell her what to do outside of NXT. She could feel herself getting redder with anger as he leant close to her, trying to intimidate her. It wasn't going to work that way; she was her own woman and she could do whatever the hell she pleased.

"And you do? Look, I don't really understand what your game is but as far as I'm concerned we're not together and we never were. You know what? We never fucking will be. So get that through your thick skull and let me fuck who I want." She shoved him out of her way and walked back into the club, seething from their 'discussion'. Her eyes scanned the bar, immediately spotting Nick; he beckoned her over with a quick flick of his forefinger.

"Where've you been? I turned around and you disappeared."

"Oh, I went to go powder my nose. I did yell it at you but the music was pretty loud."

"Well, you reappeared at just the right time, I bought you a drink."

"Thanks." She eyed the suspicious liquid with a load of cubes of ice floating around in it, noticing Nick happily drinking the exact same thing in an identical glass tumbler. He positioned his back on the bar, now empty, and waited for Katie to begin drinking hers. She shuffled closer to him, tensing to some extent when he placed his cold palm on the small of her back, kneading the fabric of her dress. Stu watched the movement from back in the booth. She turned to see him; the constant glare on his features was the most annoying thing she had seen all evening. If he wanted to play games with her then she would do her damned hardest to play along. So he wasn't jealous... She didn't believe him in the slightest. Her hands moved up Nick's tanned arms slowly, pulling them away from the wooden bar surface. He looked down at her with raised eyebrows as she positioned him in full view of her pro. She slid her hands around his neck, tugging him towards her and glanced to her left to see Stu staring right at them. Nick licked his lips and wrapped his arms around her waist; seconds later, she pressed her lips to his, teasing him by running her tongue along the tight seam. He refused to allow her the dominance, snaking his own tongue inside her open mouth, waiting to be devoured. It may have been wrong to play around with a nice guy like this, but she couldn't deny that he was a talented kisser. He flicked across the tips of her teeth before delving deeper to gather the amalgamation of all of the alcohol that she had consumed during the evening. She released her hands from around his neck and ran them under his t-shirt; his abdominals bunched under her touch, the skin hot and silky. He could sense the breathlessness, pulling away only to attach his lips to the column of her throat. It was the perfect opportunity to see if her pro was still looking. Of course he was; he was trying not to show it but he was completely pissed off. She turned to face him, a moan escaping from her lips as Nick continued his assault; she sent a simper Stu's way, trying to coax out his true reaction.

* * *

Lou blinked a few times feeling herself swaying; Stephen grasped her elbow to steady her. "Ah'm going to take yeh back, lass."

She grinned at him, a goofy smile spreading across her lips. "There are three of you." She held up three fingers in front of his face and continued to slur her words. "I've died and gone to heaven."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her away from the bar. "Ah'm flattered." He found Stu at the booth staring daggers into Katie. "Ah'm taking her back to the hotel." Stu looked her up and down and nodded not uttering a word over the loud music. Lou narrowed her eyes at the Englishman; she lunged forward and slapped the back of his head making him cough on his beer.

"Leave Katie alone you big crooked nosed bully." Stephen had gathered Lou into his arms, a chuckle escaped his lips at her behaviour and Stu could only scowl back.

Stephen managed to pull her away from Stu and through the mass of people in the club. She was in a state as she huddled into his embrace trying to find her feet but not having much luck. "Lou."

"Hmm?" He stopped walking as she tried to wiggle free from his grip.

"Woah, stop lass. Yeh gonna hurt yehself." Stephen held onto her arm, his big hand gripping around her slender wrist.

Lou stopped moving around and began to fidget with her heels. She quickly pulled them off, holding them on the tip of her fingers. "My feet hurt."

"Come 'ere." He pulled her back towards him and picked her up in his arms. She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder as he started to walk back to the hotel. Though he wouldn't be ripping her clothes off tonight, she had made her feelings clear; he would just have to wait until the morning to act of them.

* * *

It was early morning when Katie stumbled into the hotel room that she was sharing with Stu. Her fingers hooked through the slingbacks of her heels, much too stubborn to walk back in. The Englishman walked out of the bathroom in nothing but shorts; she had to admit his sauntering and flaunting of his thighs was doing wonders for her alcohol-induced vision. He gave her a quick glance before letting out a tut and heading towards the bed. She followed after him, slowing her steps when she saw the look on his face; he wasn't happy.

"How long have you been back?"

"You're alone." He simply answered. "I would have thought that you'd bring bitch boy back with you."

"Bitch boy? Ha, that's funny." She giggled, a hiccup soon following. It was safe to say that she had pretty much abandoned Nick in the club after their little 'show'. "Nah, he's probably still dancing with a hard-on."

"Did you fuck him in the club then?"

"What?" Her voice came out all squeaky; she smoothed over her dress, not wanting to lose face. "Hmm, maybe I did, maybe I didn't. What's it to you?"

"Nothing...But you didn't."

"I don't think I can be with a guy who loves the idea of himself more than me. At least with you I know that it doesn't mean anything; it's like guilt-free sex."

"Right." Katie took a seat next to him on the bed, her eyes closing momentarily.

"You were so jealous tonight though."

"I was not."

"Yeah, you were." She laughed; he sounded pretty defensive. "If you like me just say it, but I think you should know that once you admit feelings then we can't do this anymore. I'm not into that shit. I can't be dealing with that." Stu ran a hand over his face. He wasn't going to admit to anything, especially seeing as he wasn't entirely sure what was going on in his mind, himself. After a long moment, he spoke lowly.

"I think that what we have now...It works."

"Like I said it's guilt-free." She answered matter-of-factly, throwing her shoes across the room. "But if you've suddenly got feelings then, well, it's hardly guilt-free anymore. I'd feel like I was stringing you along and that's not what I'm about." He narrowed his eyes at her, not completely understanding her double standards.

"That's funny, because you seemed to be stringing Ziggler along earlier."

"You don't think that I liked him? Was I not convincing enough?"

"Shoving your tongue down his throat in front of me didn't convince me, no."

"You're only saying that because you fucking wish it was you!" She had suddenly adopted a heated tone, pushing the arm he was leaning on to prop himself up. "You can deny it all you want."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're an intelligent guy. Work it out for yourself."

"Let's just shut up; your voice is giving me a headache."

"There you are! I was almost worried that you had turned into a limp dick; thought you'd lost that fire." Katie stood up, reaching behind her to try and clasp the tiny zip between her slim fingers. "Ugh, I have to get out of this dress. Could you unzip me?"

"What's the magic word?" He smirked, getting to his feet and towering over her.

"Could you unzip me...Fucker?"

"I guess that's close enough." The sound of the material parting from the now-open zip was satisfying; Stu ran a hand down her side, his fingers toying with the hem of her dress.

"Just tug it over my head." She moaned impatiently, lifting up her arms as he dragged the dress up her body and off onto the floor. He licked his lips at the sight in front of him; his rookie clad in just her underwear, staring up at him with a glint of cheekiness in her eyes. "You're wearing too much."

"I'm only in shorts."

"Too much." She reiterated in a whisper, pushing him backwards onto the bed and climbing on top of him.

"What are you playing at?"

"Don't you need to punish me for the loss tonight? You said there would be severe consequences if I didn't win..." Katie had come to realise that the punishments and rewards were the exact same thing when it all came down to it. Sex; that was all it really was. In the end it didn't matter all too much; they both got their fun and a release of tension, which was ultimately built up by the pair of them frustrating the hell out of each other. It was a vicious cycle, but neither of them had a problem with it. Tonight was no different.

**A/N – Thank you wades wife, miamitravel, DeansTrueGirl, wwemagpie, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx, hOtlilmofo, moxxie23, ThatGirl54, RampantMuses, kimcooperx, Noellia, xHalosandwings and bejealousgirl for the reviews. Sorry it has taken so long to update. Hope you enjoy. Katie, Lou and Chesca x **


	9. Don't Push Your Luck

**Chapter 9 – **_**Don't Push Your Luck**_

The morning rolled around quicker than was probably expected; Stu and Katie had partaken in what could only be described as a drunken quickie before falling asleep on separate sides of the bed. He had been awake around half an hour, staring at the young woman now in his arms. She must have rolled by him as she slept, grabbing a tight hold on his waist and using his chest as a pillow. He wished he could say that it didn't feel good, but as he watched her sleeping she didn't appear as the resident bitch he had grown to know. She seemed incredibly innocent; a small smile crept onto her features as she let out a series of relaxed breaths. His long, calloused forefinger stroked down her bare back, tickling her spine and causing her to shiver. Immediately he drew it back, placing his hand behind his head. It was too late, however; he had woken the beast. Katie rubbed one of her closed eyes and blinked up at her pro, who was now watching her with a leer.

"How long have you been awake? You look terrible." He frowned at her groggy comment; a sarcastic comeback seeming all the more appropriate.

"Well good morning to you too."

"You weren't being creepy, were you?"

"I don't know what you mean." He feigned innocence, obviously avoiding the fact that he had been watching her sleep. She narrowed her eyes at him as he smirked down at her. "Thought you weren't a cuddler?"

"Oh fuck off, you know I'm not." Her answer was mumbled into his chest; she couldn't bear to look up at his smug face. Right now it felt almost criminal.

"Then why are your arms around me?" She lodged her tongue into her cheek, not entirely sure what to say. Her only option was to come up with a defensive argument.

"They aren't. I'm lying on top of you; it's a bit different...Unless this is how you cuddle?"

"Your hands are resting against my chest; one of your legs is hooked in between mine, and you kept squeezing my waist throughout the night. Are you trying to tell me that you're not into intimacy?" His words left him in a salacious whisper. "...Because it kind of looks like you are."

"Seriously Bennett, don't you have better things to do than heckle your rookie at dawn?"

"Am I getting to you?"

"Yeah, all this time spent hanging out, I can't wait to go home and be without you."

"Charming." Cynicism was obviously featured heavily this morning.

"That, you are not." Katie quipped, pulling herself away from his naked frame and climbing out of the bed. "I'm getting in the shower." She turned at the open bathroom door. "And this time, how about you don't follow me?"

"I won't. The sooner I get you out of my sight, the better."

"Well, fuck you then." Stu sighed as she slammed the door shut; he leant back down on the bed and rested his hands behind his head, mumbling to himself.

"Glad to see things are already back to normal..."

* * *

There weren't too many people in the lobby so Drew was probably the only WWE employee being up and about that early. He sat on one of the comfortable armchairs in front of the huge windows facing the street on which the hotel was, the black and white tracksuit with the small 'WWE' logo on his chest together with the gym bag lying at his feet gave away he was probably about to start his gym training.

He clutched the small Gatorade bottle in hands, taking a look at his watch; he snorted as he found out that the time he had told Chesca to meet him should have been at least thirty minutes ago. Slipping the Smartphone out of his pocket, he looked for his rookie's number and called; 'the number you are calling is unreachable' had been the only answer he had gained. The Scotsman tapped his fingers on the armrests, and rolling his blue eyes stood up in order to get to the lifts.

He hadn't heard of the half-Italian or seen her since before going to the club the evening before; just as he had started to think that things between them were starting again for good, she had decided to ignore him during the entire party, choosing to spend her time with her friends. To be honest with himself, realising how she had disappeared from the room had him to think of the most random things; maybe she had felt sick from drinking too much, or worse. That actually didn't matter now. As he walked through the corridor, he took the spare keycard to his protégé's room from the back pocket of his trousers – he had convinced the receptionist to give it to him saying that the woman occupying it was terribly sick so he had to check on her - and slid it into the lock.

The door made a clicking noise as it swung open, but nothing moved; everything was dark, and the only sound was someone breathing deeply. Drew took a couple of steps inside; smirking to himself he flicked the lights on, witnessing the scene in front of his blue eyes.

"Wake up sleeping beauty," Drew sarcastically said, taking a few steps closer to the bed, "Ye've got-" He stopped talking as he saw that there was another figure under the blankets next to Chesca; he raised an eyebrow, confused, until the half-Italian sat on the bed and covered the upper part of her body with the sheets. Her face was definitely embarrassed, even through the last traces of sleep.

"Galloway," she yawned. "What do you want?"

"What Ah want?" He answered after a couple of seconds, "Ye were supposed tae be dou'n fer training wit' me half an hour ago!"

"Really?" She replied, scratching the back of her head. If he had told her about it the night before, she had probably forgotten it because of the insane amount of shots she had been consuming.

"Really." The Scotsman's accent emphasised the word as he tried to keep calm. In that moment, the person next to his rookie moved and slowly pulled himself up on his arms. Blond messy hair, a beard turning into a scruff on his face and two green eyes that flashed as he blinked, slowly acknowledging that there was someone else in the room.

"Drew." He said, lifting a hand up and waving at him.

"Hawkins." The pro rolled his eyes, turning them away from the half naked colleague still in bed with the young woman. He actually didn't know what pissed him off the most; Drew liked the New Yorker, but the fact that he was someone that Chesca had preferred to him simply killed his ego.

"Guess I'll..." Curt trailed off, catching sight of the woman next to him and curving his lips into a smile. "...Just go to my room."

"Yeah," Chesca replied, her finger softly brushing on his nose. "I'll see you at the tapings." _Great_, thought Drew, _they have already decided they'll see each other again_.

Drew leant with his arm on the cupboard, turning his head away from looking at the blond wrestler getting into his boxers and jeans. Sending a smirk to the Scotsman, Curt left the room, still half naked, and closed the door behind him. Chesca was still sitting on the bed, biting her lower lip and probably thinking of what the man that had just left had done to her during the night. Drew took a deep breath, before speaking again.

"Get ready nou'."

"You know," she told him, "Maybe his cock isn't bigger than yours, but at least he knows when to keep it inside his pants."

"Ah'm not telling ye twice." The tall wrestler replied through gritted teeth.

"I'm shaking in my boots."

"Chesca." Drew sighed deeply.

"Do you expect me to go around naked with you watching me?" Chesca shot back, the blankets still firmly wrapped around her body as she put her feet on the ground.

"Ah'm not gettin' o' until ye're ready." He replied, folding his arms across his chest. "Here, Ah'll turn around and close m'ah eyes."

"Get the hell out of here!" Chesca had walked up to him, her hands now pushing on his back before one of her arms would stretch to open the door.

"Hey!"

Using all her strength, the young woman had succeeded in sending him out of the doorframe; McIntyre had tried to turn around quickly to try and enter again, but it was too late.

"Open this door!"

"When I'm dressed, you idiot," she spoke from through the wooden surface. "And just putting it out there, you don't have the right to be jealous!"

"Jealous?" Drew said in the hallway, a nervous smile on his lips. "Why would Ah be jealous of that guy, huh?" He waited for answer that never came; she had probably already stepped into the shower. He shook his head and leant his back against the wall.

"Don't know, maybe because he can have sex with me and you can't." He jumped on the spot as the young woman came out of the room after a handful of minutes; gym shorts and a Stone Cold Rattlesnake shirt customized into a tank top, her hair tied up and her gym bag already over her shoulders.

"...Let's go. We have a plane to catch soon."

* * *

The plane back to Florida was packed; the three rookies had managed to get their seats together, Lou took the window seat, Chesca in the middle and Katie on the end by the gangway. They always had the job of calming down the petite New Yorker who had a fear of flying; valium and a stiff drink were very necessary on each trip. It just showed how much she wanted to wrestle and live out her dream. She was willing to get over her phobia so she could do just that. Their three pros sat in the row in front, all tuned out and doing their own thing, not paying attention to their rookies behind them. It was an hour or so into the flight when Katie had read all of her magazines and was beginning to get bored. She had half a mind to kick the back of Stu's seat all the way back like a petulant child. He seemed out of it, in his own little world, listening to his iPod and resting his eyes.

"Psst," Lou leant forward, trying to get the attention of her friend.

"What?" Katie asked, turning her attention away from her pro to stare back at the New Yorker. Clearly the medication wasn't in full swing yet but they were certainly relaxing her; usually she was completely zonked out. They turned to Chesca who was peacefully asleep and then tried to hide their giggles. Evil smirks graced both of their lips; they were both on the same wavelength as usual.

Lou held her finger to her mouth and shushed her friend. Picking up her handbag from the floor, she pulled out a tube of Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte lipstick; the colour an opium red. Dramatically, she pulled the top of the tube off and handed the tube of lipstick over to Katie. Chesca moved in her seat slightly, making them halt their actions. They shared another giggle before Katie started to draw on the half-Italian's face. All of a sudden Drew's head popped up from the seat in front of Chesca's, his brows furrowed at what the girls were doing.

"Go away Drew, this has nothing to do with you." Lou narrowed her eyes at Chesca's new pro, wishing he would go back to whatever he was doing; the other guys seemed to be doing their own thing so she wondered why he had to be so nosey. Drew's eyes darted between both girls before returning back to his seat. "I don't trust him." Lou mouthed to her friend; however Katie was too engrossed in what she was doing to Chesca's face to pay any attention to what she had said. Her tongue poked out the side of her mouth as she concentrated, her friend's skin acting as a very pliable canvas for a masterpiece. Lou tried to stop the flurry of laughter leaving her lips as Chesca grumbled and tried batting something away from her face like she was swatting a fly.

"Done." Katie chirped, sitting back in her seat with a triumphant look on her face. Chesca was now sporting bright red facial hair that rivalled Stephen's. Lou pulled herself up from her comfortable seat, tapping each one of the pros on their shoulders.

"Guys, look, it's Cheamus!"

Drew immediately peered over, not really impressed with their behaviour; especially seeing as it was his rookie and they had been mean about him beforehand. Stu pulled off his headphones with a scowl, annoyed about being interrupted, but as he turned in his seat to see Chesca his familiar smirk illuminated his features.

"Nice one." He commented, his eyes darting to Katie. She smirked back at him, before mouthing something which he couldn't make out. It could have been something like 'you're next' for all he knew; if that was the case, he wouldn't be trying to get some sleep on the remainder of the flight. Stephen laughed at the sight behind him.

"It's like lookin' in a mirror, lass." He smiled, rubbing a hand over his own _real_ facial hair. "Yeh thinkin' o' becomin' an artist if this wrestlin' malarkey goes down the drain?" The disapproving look on Katie's face didn't go unnoticed.

"That isn't going to happen." Stu chimed in, seeing his rookie's reaction, and then watching as Stephen and Lou exchanged a look. He needed to do some damage control. "She's got me as her pro; she isn't losing anything." He retreated back into his seat, shutting off the world around him as he continued to listen to his music. Lou glanced at Chesca as she slept; she had rubbed her face, smudging some of the red lipstick onto the tip of her nose. She nudged the Londoner in the arm, keeping her voice low.

"Ches is going to be so mad when she wakes up." Katie dismissed her qualms, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Nah, she'll be cool. We're her mates; she can take a joke."

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, she should be flattered to be like the Celtic Warrior..."

* * *

"So, what are you doing later?" Lou directed her question to Stephen in the hope that he wouldn't be doing anything. She really wanted the chance to hang out with him by themselves for a while, well, all night.

"Poker night." The Englishman interrupted their short conversation, his usual cocky smirk darkening his features. He had invited Drew and Stephen round his for a few beers and some light-hearted gambling; 'light-hearted' a term which was used loosely. The only reason he gambled against the likes of them was because he knew he could beat them easily without it becoming a personal matter.

"Sounds like fun, we're in." Katie's voice stopped him from walking through the terminal all of a sudden. At the hotel earlier she told him that she couldn't wait to get away from him; no doubt that all she wanted to do was cause trouble. He grabbed her shoulder, pulling her to a halt.

"What?"

"We can play poker with you guys."

"No."

"Ah don't think that's a good idea, lass." Lou turned to Stephen, not at all impressed with his siding with Stu.

"Why not? Because we're girls?"

"Exactly." Stu answered sternly; none of them put it past him to be sexist. "And you'd lose a lot of money. It's high-stakes when you play with me."

"Oh no, I'm not standing for that." Katie prodded her pro with a long finger, digging extra hard into his muscled physique so it hurt, maybe even bruised. She was in no way an extreme feminist but what he had just said was absolutely ridiculous. "Listen fucktard, just because you have a penis does not give you the right to mess with our free will. You're not god! We can play poker if we please, and we can play it well." He glanced at the two other Diva rookies, their arms folded over their chests and unimpressed expressions on their faces. His hand reached up and subtly rubbed over his pectoral slowly, soothing his prodded skin.

"This isn't just me talking, it's scientific fact; girls can't beat guys, especially in a strategic game like poker." The girls exchanged disgusted looks before the Londoner spoke up again.

"Hold the fuck up, if anything, and if we're going by science here, girls are better at anything strategy-related." She stared him dead in the eyes. "You don't want to let us play because you know that we'll beat you. And we _will _beat you, Bennett."

"I don't think so, sweetheart." He smirked down at her before setting off with Drew, suitcases in tow. Katie gritted her teeth, her fists clenched at her sides; she had to get inside her pro's head, mess with him a little for good measure. She nudged her New Yorker friend with her elbow, averting her attention from Stephen, who had begun to walk away as well.

"Lou, go and find out where this thing is being held and what time we have to be there." She narrowed her eyes in the guy's direction. "Any plans you have tonight have been cancelled. We'll fucking show them." Lou perked up, practically running after her pro.

"Oh, Stephen..."

"There's one problem with this plan." Chesca spoke, placing a hand on Katie's shoulder. Her face was now free of any red lipstick; the Londoner was right, she must have been mad for only a second before she started giggling and doing her best Sheamus impression. "You can't play poker."

"So? Doesn't mean I can't fake it. And, boy, can I fake it. Besides, Lou can totally play; she's the master. It doesn't matter which one of us beats him as long as he gets beaten." She stormed off, the wheels of her suitcase working overtime as her steps echoed across the floor. Chesca stared at her, open-mouthed for a second, before mumbling to herself and setting off after her.

"...I guess we're gambling tonight then."

* * *

"Urgh, I fold like a fat woman who ate an entire block of cheese and stitched from running for the bus." Katie threw her cards onto the table in frustration. Carefully she eyed the huge pile of chips Stu had in front of him, temptation had settled in to pinch some. The consequences of what he would do if he caught her floated around in her mind for a moment; she needed a plan. Stephen had already folded, and Stu had called. Drew and Chesca sat uncomfortably next to each other and both folded. Lou threw in a chip, calling also. As the first three cards hit the table Stu was quick to put in a bet of $50. The New Yorker had to fight fire with fire.

"I see your $50 and raise you $100." Lou placed more chips into the centre of the table as Stu continued to stare at her, his carefree expression had really started to piss her off. Katie sat next to Stu, aimlessly playing with the last few chips she had left.

"Lou!" Katie's eyes were wide as Lou smirked at the Englishman.

"I got this." Lou reassured her friend as she stared Stu down.

"Maybe you should talk some sense into your rookie." Stu pointed the beer bottle in his hand at Stephen before taking a swig from it himself.

"Maybe yeh should keep an eye on yer cards, fella." Stephen's hand slipped under the table onto Lou's thigh. She glanced at him and smiled as he gave her a reassuring nod.

"I call your raise." Stu threw the remaining chips needed then slipped his arm around the back of Katie's chair. His thumb slipped across her shoulder, a light teasing touch that made her shiver. She just hoped no one noticed. As she shuffled in her chair, he glanced at her, smirking. He knew the effect he had on her, but she was doing her best not to show it.

Lou eyed the cards that were already laid out on the table. The flop had turned up a queen of hearts, ten of spades and six of clubs. She already had a two pair. One more ten or a queen and she would have a full house. Hearing Stu chuckle from across the table, she wanted to slap him, or take his money; the latter sounded much more appealing in that moment.

Stephen held the cards in his hands, waiting to deal the turn. As soon as the ten of diamonds was placed on the table Stu threw a chip in. That was a tell if Lou had ever seen one. She had been watching him closely; if he had a winning hand he would take his time and if he didn't, everything would be done as quickly as possible.

"All in." Her eyes flicked up from the pile of chips she had just pushed into the centre of the table. Queens over sixes, the only chance he had at getting close to an alright hand was getting a straight. She heard everyone watching gasp, she must've had about $400 in chips altogether. Stu ran his tongue across his bottom lip; jaw tense and eyes narrowed, he pushed the chips in.

"Whoever wins is taking me shopping tomorrow." Katie chirped up, taking a gulp of the beer in her hand. Stu flipped his cards up, revealing an ace and a king. Lou smirked knowing she had him beat. As soon as she flipped her cards over he slammed his fist down on the table.

"Oh my god, you won!" Chesca laughed, suddenly finding it hilarious that Stu had lost at his self-proclaimed 'own game'.

"You have a tell!" He tried to protest, glancing around the table as everyone stared at him.

"So do you, you idiot." Lou gathered up her winnings. "Well girls, lunch and shopping tomorrow is on Stu."

"Yay!" Katie squealed happily, holding her bottle of beer up in celebration before drinking the last of it.

"We're playing again." Stu demanded, snatching the cards from Stephen.

Lou faked a yawn whilst stretching her arms into the air. "Nah, actually, I'm rather tired."

"Katie, talk to her." The Londoner turned to her pro, confused as to what the hell she could get Lou to do.

"You're such a sore loser." Lou couldn't help but laugh as Stephen handed her the money she had won; they were calling it a night.

"I'm not. We deserve a fair rematch."

"Nothing's fair with you, Katie told me that." Stu's gaze shot to Katie who nervously tapped her fingers against the bottle of beer in her hand.

"I'm going to get more drinks." Katie smiled, counting her remaining meagre plastic chips to make sure that no one would steal them while she was gone. She narrowed her eyes at the renowned 'serial cheater' sat next to her in particular; Stu's motto had always been cheat to win, she knew that first hand. "Don't deal until I'm back, okay?" The Englishman sat up in his chair, throwing the pack of cards into the middle of the table.

"More drinks? Need help with the load?"

"Nope." She answered simply, turning on her chair and disappearing into the next room with empty beer bottles.

"I'll be back." He mumbled to the room, getting up from his chair. Chesca turned to Lou as they all watched Stu follow Katie through the archway, presumably into the kitchen.

"Since when does he ever want to help anyone else?" The New Yorker shook her head, playing with some of her winnings.

"Got me..."

Stu smirked as he walked into the kitchen; his rookie was bent over and going through his fridge, trying to fish out something remotely alcoholic. Losing all of her money was pretty painful. She had come to realise that poker really wasn't her game, although it would probably have been easier to understand if she didn't keep getting distracted by sneaky actions from her pro. Stu stood with his arms crossed over his broad chest; head tilting slightly as he watched her from behind, her denim-clad backside wiggling about until she pulled out a bottle of beer. Just the one.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting more beer, what does it look like?" She spoke sarcastically as if it was plainly obvious.

"That's my last one." He nodded towards the cold green bottle clutched in her hand.

"_Your_ last one?" Katie scoffed, picking up a metal bottle opener. "Some host you are; you can't even stock your fridge?"

"I didn't expect you lot to come too. I bought enough beer for the guys. You know that technically you're an uninvited guest, right?"

"Whatever, I'm taking this beer."

"No, you're not." He took a step closer to her, his voice deep and authoritative. Katie narrowed her eyes at the man a few feet in front of her, backing away from him only to be obstructed by the wooden counter island in the middle of the kitchen. She whipped around it without taking her eyes off him; she knew how terribly devious he could be when it came to getting what he wanted.

"Yes, I am."

"Katie..."

"Stuart..." He bit on his tongue briefly as she mimicked his voice, attempting to hold back a laugh. His fist banged on the counter, his patience wearing thin.

"Give me the bottle."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!" She jumped backwards to avoid his grabby hand, the bottle loosening from her grip ever so slightly, the glass slippery due to the condensation. Stu held out his palm, gesturing as if to beckon her over to him; she found the whole action kind of amusing, but his trying dominance was pretty sexy.

"Give me it!" He boomed. "Now."

"Oh, you really want it?"

"Yes."

"Do you?"

"Yes!"

"Fine! Fucking have it." She shouted, defeated, and thrust it into his grasp with a scowl. "Here, I'll even open it for you." Katie clinked the metal bottle opener on the lid, breaking the cap from its tight seal around the neck. The bottle cap flew through the air as a flurry of beer gushed out of the bottle and all over the pair of them. All that jumping around, fighting over who got the last beer had fizzed up the alcohol; half of its contents now soaked into their clothes. A frustrated groan escaped the Englishman; surprisingly, he wasn't as angry as he could have been.

"Why is it that whenever you come over I end up getting soaked?"

"You bring it on yourself."

"You just like to cause trouble."

"And I think that you like that." Katie took a sip from the small green bottle, gathering the remaining beer from her lips with the swipe of her tongue. Stu subconsciously sunk his teeth into his bottom lip as he watched her; her torturous lick of the lips appeared to him in slow motion, a much better way to savour the moment. He grabbed her hand clutched around the bottle and pulled it to his lips, taking a large gulp of the drink before pulling her flush against his body. The tips of their noses touched, they were that close. She let her eyes slip shut as he ran his nose across her cheek to speak lowly in her ear.

"The nice little games we play, huh?"

"You've _never_ been nice." He smirked at her response, his hot breath fanning along the soft skin of her neck. This man knew exactly how to play games. Her hands pulled the beer-soaked cotton away from his body, making absolutely no space between them at all. Katie opened her eyes to see a mass of jade arrogance staring straight back at her. She felt stupid for wanting him so badly. He cupped the back of her neck with one hand and pressed his lips against hers with a considerable amount of pressure; a forceful, passionate, secret kiss...in the middle of an open kitchen. So much for picking moments; any one of the others could have walked in. She parted her lips in a breath, giving him the invitation to taste her with his tongue. It was a chance to steal back some of his beer, well, the flavour of it at least. He was fighting with her but neither of them could deny how great it felt to have their lips on each other. Katie placed the bottle of beer on the countertop quickly, linking her arms around his neck as Stu clasped her hips with a strong grip. She moaned into his mouth, running her tongue along his bottom lip before hearing Stephen shout from the living room.

"What's takin' yeh so long in there?" The Londoner pulled away from Stu, forcefully pushing his hands from her. When the Irishman didn't get an answer, he boomed from the next room. "Guys? Yeh in there or what?" Stu ignored his friend, instead opting to tease his rookie some more.

"What would you say if I wanted to punish you right here, right now? Say, on this counter?" His fingers stroked the marble countertop as her eyes darted to witness the caress; he could be gentle when he wanted to be, the situation just never called for it yet.

"I'd say you've lost your fucking mind!" She whispered back harshly, pointing towards the living room where faint chatter was going on. "With that brood in the next room? Are you serious?"

"I thought you liked exhibition."

"This crosses some sort of line though, I'm sure. I don't think I want my friends to see you smacking my arse with a plastic spatula." His laugh was devilish and utterly unmistakable.

"What's happening?" Chesca appeared in the archway, cautiously stepping into the kitchen just in case there was a chance of broken glass; she was astonished to see both of them still alive after the row they could hear from the poker table. Katie turned to her, forcing a smile.

"Stu's wearing my beer because he wanted it so badly."

"Now there's none left for anyone." Stu answered bluntly. "Wanna run out and get some more, Chester? Here." He fished out $15 from his pocket and waved the damp money about in front of the half-Italian's face.

"I'm surprised you still have money to flaunt, Bennett. I'm heading off anyway." The looks on their faces didn't go unnoticed; Chesca narrowed her eyes, something was up. "You guys okay?"

"We're fine." Without hesitation, the Englishman defended himself and his rookie. "As usual."

"Alright, well, night. Don't kill each other, yeah?" Chesca backed her way out of the kitchen with a sceptical look on her face; she wasn't exactly sure what had been going on while they were alone but the whole situation seemed suspicious. Katie turned to Stu with a scowl.

"What the fuck?" She growled quietly, shoving him in the shoulder. "Do you want us to get caught?" All she received in response was his usual cocky smirk; something that she had certainly gotten used to.

* * *

As Chesca left the kitchen alone, she glanced at the half-empty poker table with an apologetic expression on her face. Stephen and Lou stared at her with confused looks on their faces, their features softening when she explained that she was tired and leaving early. Drew wasn't giving her his full attention, downing the last of his beer. The second he looked up, the half-Italian had left the house. He stood quickly, causing the wooden surface and all the chips on it to tremble and fall from their piles, making the Irishman to frown at him.

"Delicate is yer middle name, huh fella?" He sarcastically commented as his best friend ran after his rookie; he had almost tripped on his own feet, but he managed to gain balance again and follow the young woman out of the house.

"For god's sake, Galloway." The rookie turned on her heels, talking with an annoyed voice directly to his face. "What do you want now?"

"Ah just..." He widened his arms, looking at her. "Can't Ah just talk tae ye? Ah mean, last night ye went away and Ah discovered only this morning that-"

"I ended up having a lovely night, Drew," she replied, rolling her eyes and taking a sip of her beer. "And all of it is none of your business." The ringtone of her iPhone was heard from her skinny jeans' pocket; taking it out, a smile immediately appeared on her face as soon as her eyes had read the text sender's name. Hawkins.

"Ye've done nothing but answer his texts all night." The Scotsman folded his arms on his chest and looked at the illuminated skyline in front of him; Chesca's fingers rapidly tapped on the touch screen, composing another message.

"That's what you do with texts, Einstein."

"And ye know what?" The wrestler continued, getting closer to her and trying to sound authoritarian. "Ah didn't like ye today at training." She slowly turned her head, her chocolate brown eyes staring down at him; her jaw was clenched. If there was something that pissed her off, it was when someone questioned her concentration during the daily training. Her career mattered more than everything else, hence why she put her entire being in making sure that every single one of her movements in the ring was performed to perfection.

"Liar."

"Ah'm deadly serious."

"I saw your baby blue eyes shining as I performed that moonsault." she smirked at him, her finger pushing on his pectoral. "You're running out of arguments." It was hard to admit for him, but she was right.

As another received text flashed on the screen, Chesca swallowed the remaining contents of the bottle, pushing the empty glass in his hands. Drew opened his mouth to speak, but the half-Italian had already started walking away.

"I'll kick your butt in the gym tomorrow morning at the same hour." The girl added, her hand lifting up and her fingers waving at him; the rookie walked down the driveway, leaving the Scotsman standing alone. Unbelievable.

It was like she had suddenly stopped being the shy and adorable girl he had compromised his marriage for; Chesca had taken her claws out, showing that there was more to her than the innocent young rookie, who knew nothing of how vicious men could be, hiding even their weddings for a night of fun. Or, maybe, the Scotsman had just underestimated her; he didn't know how she could have done it, but the tables had turned. He was fast becoming the puppet.

* * *

"Yeh wanna come back to mine?" Lou nodded, a sudden shyness coming over her. The tone he had used was suggestive and laced with tease. His big hand slipped around hers and he pulled her up from the couch. "Ah'll let Stu know we're going." He smiled, making their way through the house to the kitchen. As soon as they walked in they saw Katie shoot away from Stu to the other side of the room. She smiled their way and ran a hand through her hair.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?"

"Ste and I are going, will you be okay here?" Lou's eyes subconsciously slipped to Stu then back to Katie. They were both breathing heavily. Something had been going down.

"Of course she will." Stu took a step towards the pair, he was still pissed that Lou had made a fool out of him.

"Still got your panties in a twist eh, Bennett? Maybe this should be a weekly thing; I could use the extra cash."

"Why don't you just-" Stu started but didn't get far as Stephen interrupted him.

"Alright, alright; leave it. Let's go." Stephen wrapped his arm around Lou's shoulder, gently pulling her out of the room and away from the angry Englishman. "He doesn't like to lose."

"You don't say." Lou pushed herself further into his warm embrace, loving the feel of his protective arm around her. "How far is your place from here?"

"Only a few miles, think yeh can last that long?"

"I'll try my best." She grinned at him and they continued walking to the outside of the house. She eyed up the car he unlocked, a black Range Rover. She figured he would have something that size considering what a big man he was. He opened the passenger side door and helped her in, not wanting her to slip in her heels.

The drive back to Stephen's house was quick; he was driving above the limit, desperate to get her home. Once they were inside he showed her around his house. It was modest and modern, and exactly how she had imagined it to be. Whilst taking in his living room and massive television, she felt his hands on her shoulders. "How about Ah show yeh what's upstairs?"

Turning on the spot, Lou wrapped her arms around Stephen's neck. Her lips touched his gently, teasing him with what was about to transpire. "If it isn't a king sized bed, I'm not interested."

"Then it's yer lucky day, lass." He pulled her arms from around his neck and took hold of her hand.

"Yeh sure yeh wanna do this?" The Irishman pulled her into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Lou's eyes darted around the room, her sight landing on the large bed covered in a soft red duvet. Turning to him, she needed to make sure he knew this was what she wanted; their time together had tested their trust. Nodding slowly, Lou let Stephen's big hands cup her face gently. "Once Ah start Ah don't think Ah'll be able to stop."

Staring into her eyes for a moment, he searched them for any doubt. When he didn't see any, he pulled her towards him, crashing his lips onto hers. Lou could only moan and submit at the sheer force. His actions were desperate and needy; she craved him and she knew those feelings were reciprocated. She was pulled tight against his hard body, captured within his big arms.

"Remember who's in charge." Stephen dipped his head down to gently bite into her neck, licking her soft flesh as her hands roamed over his arms.

"We're not in the ring now, fella." Lou smirked, tugging on his shirt and slipping the buttons free. Desperate to get her hand on him, she pressed her hands fat against his abdominals. She heard him stifle a groan which made a smirk creep onto her face. The sexual tension between them had been building; not only that evening, but the time they had been paired together.

Slipping Stephen's shirt off his body, Lou let out a satisfied sigh. Stephen's big hands snaked around to her back, crushing her against his hard chest. His lips slipped to her neck, gently kissing her soft skin. In the back of his mind he knew there was a danger that their relationship on NXT could be affected, but as she started unbuckling his belt those thoughts quickly slipped away. Gently she pushed herself away from him and out of his embrace. Her gaze wandered across his wide chest up to his jaw, the dull light in the room casting sharp shadows across his strong face. His eyes were bright, watching her intently. She glanced down to the top of his jeans again, her hand still resting on the cold metal buckle.

"Don't tell me yer havin' second thoughts, lass?" Her head shot up, wide eyes locked with his again.

"No it's just-" His hand reached up to cradle her face, his thumb softly brushing across her cheek. "It doesn't matter." Her hand reached up, trying to move his from her face.

"We're not doing anythin' until yeh tell me what's on yeh mind." Swallowing hard, she tried to think of the right words to say.

"I've thought about this a lot." Her gaze shot to the bed for a brief second; the soft cushions and duvet looking increasingly inviting. Just like her mind often did, it played what it would feel like to have Stephen above her; his weight holding her down, skin brushing hers. Her breath faltered. Stephen's thumb now brushing across her bottom lip, still wet from his heated kiss.

"You and me both." He spoke huskily, dying to get his hands on her again but scared now that he might push her away. He brought his hands to her hips, pulling her against him again. Searching her eyes for a moment, he pushed his forehead against hers. She smiled lightly at the gesture; a gesture that screamed trust, and she knew that Stephen would never hurt her. Bringing her hands to his thick neck, she pushed her lips against his, soft at first but increasingly building with need.

Stephen groaned as Lou's wandering hands travelled down to his biceps, her nails digging lightly into his skin and leaving faint marks. Wanting her out of her clothes, he gripped the thin zipper of her dress between his fingers. One swift pull, the dress fell to the floor and pooled around her feet. Through the thin lace of her cream strapless bra, he could see her nipples, hard from arousal. Pulling her back from him slightly, he leant down, his lips enclosing around one of the hardened peaks. Lou gasped, the contact sending shivers up her spine and tingles across her body. He did the same to the other whilst his hands reached for the clasp of her bra. Once it dropped to the floor, he picked her up, pulling her legs around his waist.

Landing in the middle of the big soft bed, Lou stared up at Stephen. His dark eyes stared back at her, raking over every curve of her body. His hands trailed down her sides causing her back to arch off the bed; an offering to Stephen that he wouldn't refuse. He wanted to feast on her. Take his time over every inch of her body. Although the throbbing in his jeans told him otherwise, he knew he had to take his time with her. Dropping a kiss between her breasts, the look on her face hit him right in the gut and took his breath away. Her lips parted between breaths, sapphire blue eyes dark and intense. He wanted her. He wanted her to be his and his only.

Kissing down to the top of her panties, her hands raked through his hair. Her move was less than subtle and he knew what she wanted. One thick finger dragged across her lace covered centre, the friction across her clit caused her to whimper his name and tighten her grip on his hair. Stephen smirked then gently hooked his fingers under her panties, pulling them down her long toned legs. He eyed the heels on her feet for a moment, the shiny patent leather reflecting the light in the room.

"Ah'm allowed to touch these, right?" Lou propped herself up on her elbows, her expression one of confusion and frustration. Swiftly she pulled the shoes off her feet, throwing them across the room in a grand gesture.

"I don't give a fuck about the shoes." Sprawled naked across Stephen's bed she honestly didn't give a fuck about anything. Just the aching between her thighs that only Stephen could take care of.

Stephen gripped onto her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the bed. Kneeling on the floor between her legs, he kissed her clit. The first moment of contact had her gripping onto the bed sheets and moaning. His tongue flicked over the sensitive nub, a surge of male pride ran through his body as her body writhed against him. He clutched at her hips, his mouth covering her completely and his tongue stroking her to climax. His hands moved to her silky thighs, pushing her legs further apart and pinning them to the bed.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Lou tumbled into a world of bright dazzling colours. Intense and overwhelming, Stephen took over her body, making her cry out as her body trembled and shook. She didn't have time to recover as Stephen discarded his shoes, socks and jeans in next to no time. Lifting her up, he placed her in the middle of the bed again, her thighs parted by his. Her nails dug into his arms, marking his perfect smooth skin. Feeling the hot tip of his cock slide across her clit she let out a breathy moan.

"Fuck." Stephen stopped, jaw tense and clenched.

"What?" Lou breathed out, her heart jumping to her throat. Did he have second thoughts? Was he regretting inviting her back?

"Condom." He started to get off her but she abruptly stopped him.

"I'm on the pill." His eyes searched hers, noticing the trust and honesty swirling around in them. Kissing her hard, he gripped onto her leg and threw it onto his shoulder. His hand trailed down her leg, fingers dancing across her silky skin making her shiver. His chest rubbed against hers, lips tracing across her jaw line. Slowly he pushed his length into her, inch by inch feeling her heat surround him.

Liquid pleasure ran through his veins, feeling her envelope him felt sweeter than anything he had conjured up in his mind. And as she rocked her hips against him, everything got a little bit sweeter. His lips moved to her neck, biting and kissing her soft skin. His movements were purposely slow. His instincts were telling him to pin her down and fuck her senseless, but he needed her to know she meant more to him than just sex. Her hands still clung onto his biceps, holding on as if he were about to slip through her fingers at any second. They slipped up to his shoulders, nails raking across his milky skin. His composure and control was slipping, her breathy moans and delightful whimpers driving him crazy. He snapped. He captured her wrists in one hand and pinned them above her head. Kissing just below her ear, he growled at her. "Do yeh trust me?"

Lou managed to speak; her legs wrapped around his waist then tugged him forward. "Yes. Ste, please just fuck me."

Smirking, he would do just that. Pulling almost completely out of her, he pushed back in, filling her to the hilt. Her back arched off the bed, teeth sinking into her bottom lip. She matched his thrusts, each powerful movement sending her spiralling into a blissful state. Everything in her world focused on the man above her as he coaxed her to her climax. She heard herself calling his name, crying out into the room. Her heart pulsed and her body shook. Tightening around him, she pulled him into a mind blowing climax. A guttural groan tore from his chest and his lips found hers again as he came. Their movements stilled, breathing harsh and shallow once Stephen had released her lips from his.

"Wow." Lou grinned, her cheeks flushed and hair out of place. She tried to shy away once her wrists had been freed but Stephen stopped her and shook his head.

He kissed her cheek and murmured against her skin. "Yeh look good like this." More soft kisses were pressed against her jaw. "Ah'm going to make sure yeh look like this more often."

**A/N – Thank you wades wife, peeps8705, miamitravel, Jojo Barrett, hOtlilmofo, Thatgirl54, moxxie23, wwemagpie, DeansTrueGirl and xFindTheEnigmaWithinx for the lovely reviews. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Lou, Katie and Chesca x**


	10. Hide And Seek Part 1

**Chapter 10**_** – Hide and Seek (Part 1)**_

"Twice." Katie whispered harshly in Stu's ear once Lou and Stephen walked out of the house. "We nearly got caught twice tonight; and that's without your sneaky little advances." He smirked as he stroked a long finger down her bare arm, a husky tone evident in his voice when he spoke.

"Well, we're alone now..." She ran a hand through her hair.

"You know what? It's late; I think I'm going to head back to mine."

"You can stay over if you want?" His voice stopped her from walking away from him; she turned back, confusion setting in her features. He was quick to try and convince her; the sexual tension had been building up all evening, surely she wasn't just going to leave him alone. Katie blinked slowly, watching as he looked down at the countertop and ran his fingers across the surface again. "I mean, I've got nothing else on so..." She folded her arms across her chest, stepping closer to him as he lifted his head, a composed expression on his face.

"That's really interesting. It wasn't long ago that you were telling me that I was an uninvited guest."

"You were an uninvited guest, as were Chester and your money-grabber of a friend."

"You really are a sore loser, Stu." He was clearly bitter about his loss; he hated to lose anything, even coming second was just first loser. Lou wasn't even invited to the poker night and she had managed to swipe most of his beer money from him over the course of the evening. He sighed, turning the tables and averting the attention from him for once.

"Yeah, well, you were utter crap tonight; after your little rant at the airport I expected a lot better from you. Not even one challenge."

"I can't play poker."

"I know." Stu chuckled lightly, much to her dismay. "You were all talk."

"It got to you though, didn't it?" She spoke candidly, nudging him in the arm. When she didn't get a response, she considered her work done. She scanned the kitchen; empty bottles of beer, half-eaten dips and soggy chips in bowls were strewn on the island counter. When the beer had exploded all over the pro and his rookie it seemed as though everything around them got a sprinkling too. All that Katie could smell was stale alcohol; Stu's soaked shirt taking the brunt of it. She was torn between wanting to stay, and wanting to leave to breathe in fresh air. After a long minute, she answered her own dilemma. "Want me to help you clean up?" Stu looked at her sceptically before his usual cocky smirk appeared on his thin lips.

"If you're sticking around you might as well. You can start with the poker table." She glanced through the archway, her eyes settling on the round table covered in stray cards from the half-stacked deck and blue, red and white plastic chips. Her fingers curled around his forearm as she pulled him towards the living room.

"Fine, but you're helping me..."

Katie pulled the chair that she was previously sat on away from the table and stepped in its place. She leant over, stacking up piles upon piles of plastic chips in the middle before collecting the patterned cards and fixing them into another pile so the deck was reformed. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed Stu stood close behind her, doing absolutely nothing but watching her tidy almost as if he were monitoring her on some kind of duty. He smiled at her, the jade of his eyes darkening to a forest-green. She could comprehend that particular look immediately. Feeling oddly playful, she turned around quickly so they were chest-to-chest. The Englishman toyed with the hem of her shirt, a small groan of approval escaping his lips.

"What are you doing?" She gasped, his cold fingertips grazing her hot skin. "We're supposed to be cleaning up."

He leant close to her ear, his voice gruff and low. "We can do that later."

"Your house, your rules." Katie sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I've got to do what you tell me..."

Stu lifted her shirt over her head before removing his own, throwing them both to the floor with a soft thud. Their lips crashed together with confounding passion; Katie ran her fingers up his arms, her long nails dragging red lines over his skin and digging into his hard muscles. He slipped his tongue into her mouth as his hands busied themselves with the task of pulling the studded belt from around her hips; it too joined the growing pile of clothes. She broke the kiss to focus on unbuttoning his jeans, breathing harshly as Stu pressed quick kisses to her jaw line, trailing down to her neck to sink his teeth into the silky skin. The rookie moaned at the feeling of his lips on her; it didn't matter what went on between them in the way of hating on each other, nothing felt as amazing as the hate sex that followed.

Anticipation tingled all through her; a dull ache settled between her thighs, she had been ready for him since he made out with her in the kitchen. She pushed his jeans over his thick thighs so they pooled on the floor and bit her lip; from the looks of things the man was just as ready for her as she was for him. Stu stared down at her with a smirk, his fingers hooking under the waistband of her jeans and pulling her closer towards him. His teeth grazed her collarbone making her mewl into his shoulder; his palms reached down the back of her jeans and cupped her backside, lifting her up and against his body. She linked her long legs around his hips, her teeth pulling at his plump bottom lip before they locked lips again. He rocked her against his hard member, her denim-clad heat too restricted to feel the full benefit; she couldn't fight it anymore. She wanted him to satisfy her, and she couldn't wait much longer for him to do so.

Stu leant forward, his big arms swiping everything off the poker table and onto the floor; the sound was deafening, all those chips hitting the ground at the same time caused a hell of a racket. He pushed her down onto the table, forcefully pulling her legs from around his waist and then dragging her jeans completely off. She felt his hot tongue running wet trails up the inside of her thighs; sharp nibbles were applied here and there. Katie couldn't help but whimper at his actions, succumb to his every move; she wished that she could have challenged him but in all honesty she just wanted to be dominated. He flicked his tongue over her material-covered heat, paying special attention to her sensitive clit. She gripped her hands into his hair, disrupting it from its usual immaculate style while she attempted to angle her toes into the waistband of his boxers; she succeeded in peeling them back to reveal his throbbing member, an involuntary moan escaping her as her glossy eyes settled on it.

He stroked his hands up her back, lifting her off the table a few inches to unclasp her bra. She bit her lip as he dragged his tongue over her dusky pink nipples and then dipped even lower to nip on her hipbones. The final piece of clothing that separated them, her panties, were pulled down her toned legs until they were balled up in his fist; he smirked, dropping them to the floor. He gripped a thigh in one hand, and pushed the other against the flat surface of the table in order to open her more to him. She mewled in anticipation, immediately gasping as he filled her to the hilt without warning. Her warmth surrounded him, making him still for a minute; he let out a guttural groan when she tensed around him, her muscles squeezing and tightening.

The table rocked back and forth from the sheer force of Stu's thrusts. Katie never expected him to be gentle; she didn't want him to be gentle. He allowed her to wrap one leg around his waist as he drove deeper, his free hand clasping her throat. His fingertips pressed into the skin of her neck, luckily not enough to bruise; she would have a hard time explaining that one to her friends. She thrust her hips upwards to match him, being punished with a tighter hold to her body. He wasn't going to give her any of the control; he was the boss, especially in his own house. Sweat beaded across her neck and along his brow as his relentless thrusts pushed her over the edge. He rubbed his thumb in a circular motion over her clit making her cry out, her breathing coming out in rasps due to the hand clutched around her neck. His fingertips brushed the column of her throat as he leant forward, running his lips down the valley of her breasts. Katie stared at him, open-mouthed; a tingle trickling up her spine to signal her impending release as Stu drove into her again and again. She watched his abdominals tense and the muscles in his arms flex repeatedly, his teeth gritting as the tension built up. He was close. She was closer. Her hands clutched the sides of the table with a white knuckle grip as she experienced her most intense orgasm yet; she moaned and screamed out his name as he gripped her hips and released into her. His thrusts halted soon after, their breathing laboured and filling the silent room. Stu wiped over his brow, grinning down at their glistening bodies.

"I'm not finished with you yet, rookie." He managed to get out, before throwing Katie over his shoulder and heading upstairs to his bedroom.

* * *

Blinking a few times, Lou tried to get her eyes to adjust to the bright light beaming through the gap in the closed curtains. Grumbling, she tried to roll over but the heavy arm around her waist stopped her.

"Ste." Lou moved her hand to shield her eyes, groaning as she felt mascara on her lashes. She knew she would look a state, something she didn't want Stephen to see. "It's so bright." Hearing him grumble in response, Lou tried to bury her head into the pillow. After a second she felt the duvet lift up and cover them both. Soon after, Stephen lips were fast on her neck and she was wide awake.

"Good mornin'." He spoke softly against her skin, his hot breath fanning across her making her melt into him. He pulled her into his chest, hard muscles contracting against her bare back. His thumb stroked lightly across her stomach as his lips continued their assault down her neck to her shoulder. Lou stroked her hand down Stephen's forearm, making sure he was real. She pushed herself into him, her eyes snapping open. This definitely wasn't a dream. His thick hard length pressed into her lower back and all the memories from the previous night came flooding back. Desire surged through her body then pooled between her thighs.

In one swift movement Stephen pulled the duvet off the pair. Reaching between her thighs, he stroked a finger over her, smirking that she was ready for him; just what he wanted. Her hands were clinging onto his arm, nails digging in and breaths ragged, waiting for what he was about to do. Moving his finger to her clit, he rubbed slowly, delighted as she whimpered and let her eyes slip shut. Revelling in what he was doing to her.

Gripping onto her soft thigh, he parted her legs. The tip of his cock pushed against her slick opening. He thrust into her hard and quick, earning a gasp from Lou. He growled against her neck, lips still leaving little kisses against her skin. Slowly he pulled out and pushed back in. His slow thrusts were driving her crazy. He pushed her hair away from the side of her face, kissing just blow her ear. Moulded to his body, Lou couldn't help but feel this was where she was meant to be. From the start there had been a connection, but only now they were doing something about it. The way he tenderly held her, the complete opposite to the previous night was obvious. He cared and she wasn't just a quick fling.

Stephen upped his pace, he wanted her climaxing. Tightening around him and crying out in pleasure, just like she had the night before. It was bliss to know he was the one making her tremble with ecstasy. Her hands gripped onto the bed, finally succumbing to the waves of pleasure rolling through her body. Stephen gripped onto her thigh tighter, continuing his relentless thrusts. His lips attached to her neck, growling against her skin as he came.

"Can we do that every morning?" Lou smiled, tease laced within her voice.

"Ah, er..."

"Oh, I wasn't suggesting. It was just, you know. Good." Lou managed to splutter out as waves of rejection took over her body. The fear of commitment was clear on Stephen's face, not that she had suggested anything of the sort. Ducking her head in embarrassment she wanted to get away from him. Before she could scoot out of the bed with as much decorum as possible, Stephen pulled her flush against his chest, arms securely wrapped around her.

"How about Ah take yeh on a date first, say tonight?"

"I think I can make time for you." Lou grinned as Stephen nuzzled her neck.

"What do yeh have planned?" Stephen asked. He knew he had a few things to do as well, but he had nothing planned for the evening.

"Well I should have been wrestling but I'm ringside for Brett's match." Lou felt Stephen's grip around her tighten and the kisses being placed along her jaw stop. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, lass." Lou wiggled in his arms, turning around so she could look up at him.

"I don't believe you. Whenever I mention Brett or I'm with him you act funny."

"He likes yeh." Lou stared at Stephen; his argument was dwindling before it had even begun.

"I like him too, as a friend." Lou pressed her lips against his thick neck, nibbling gently at his milky skin. "Plus I'm having way too much fun with you to be thinking about other men."

"Alright, Ah'm sorry." Stephen brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "Wanna go get some breakfast? My treat?" Before she could blink, Stephen was shuffling out of the bed, quickly putting on his boxer briefs that were strewn across the floor.

"Wouldn't that count as a date?" Lou asked, her eyes darting around the room to find her underwear.

"Maybe. Yeh seen me wallet, lass?" Stephen rummaged around on his dresser table after searching through his jean pockets that were lying on the floor.

"Ste, I can't even find my underwear." He glanced back at Lou, still huddled on the bed with the sheets wrapped around her. He had to admit she looked good in his bed. Sending her a small smile, he bent down and picked up her bra that was next to his feet, holding it from the tip of his finger.

"Looking for this?"

"Yes, gimme." She held her hands out, waiting for Stephen to give her back her bra.

"Maybe yeh should come an' get it. Without the sheets." Stephen smirked, crossing his arms over his wide chest. A hearty laugh left him as he watched her cheeks flush and her hands grip a little tighter onto the sheet. "After last night an' ten minutes ago, yeh have nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Ste..." Her voice pleaded with him and she pouted. Giving in, Stephen made his way back to her, bra in hand and picked her panties up as he passed them.

"There yeh go, lass." She took them from his grip quickly and smiled sheepishly. "Take a shower if yeh like." He gestured behind him to the en suite then kissed her cheek quickly. "Ah must've left me wallet at Stu's, we'll drop by before breakfast." Lou watched him leave, the sight of him making her heart quicken. He looked a treat in only his boxer briefs.

* * *

"You have a key to his house?" Lou mused, grinning wildly as Stephen slipped the key into the door. "That's so cute." Stephen stopped turning the handle to stare at the blonde, raising an eyebrow he wasn't sure what to say.

"He has mine too." Stephen cursed himself under his breath as Lou burst into a fit of giggles.

"So he won't be mad that you're here?"

"Nah, he'll be fine. He gave me the key himself, yeh know, fer emergencies."

"Getting your wallet sure sounds like an emergency to me..."

"Ah won money last night; Ah'll be lucky if Ah have any left at this rate." They shared a laugh before taking in the scene around them. The poker table hadn't been cleared away, in fact, it looked as if it had exploded; there were cards and plastic chips absolutely everywhere, as well as clothes and empty bottles of beer. Lou's eyes widened as she scanned the room completely. There was no sign of anyone around.

"This place looks like a bomb's hit it. Look at the mess."

"Oh!" Stephen clocked his wallet on the floor, poking out from the back of the sofa. "Here it is." He walked over to the poker table, picking up his wallet from the floor and opening the leather to check all of his money was still in there. Lou zoned in on the items of clothing strewn across the room, her brow furrowed as she stepped closer to where Stephen was stood.

"Ste..."

"What?" She picked up a thin grey silk-blend tank top, knowing exactly who was wearing it the night before.

"This is Katie's shirt." Her eyes drifted towards the other clothes, nodding her head towards various items with a look of horror on her face. "And those are her jeans." Stephen placed his wallet in his back pocket and walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"An' Ah'm guessin' that's her underwear over there..." He turned to his rookie with a slight smile. "...Either that or Stu's go' some explainin' to do." Lou pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing by the second. This wasn't a joke.

"No, I think either way they've both got shit to explain."

The New Yorker took off up the staircase, quietly landing each step with a soft thud; Stephen followed after her, trying to be as hushed as possible for a burly wrestler. The door to Stu's bedroom was wide open, the morning light peeking through the dark curtains inside the room. Katie lay under the crisp white sheets; her eyes fluttered shut as Stu hovered over her, burying his head in the crook of her neck, pressing kisses to her silky skin. A moan escaped her lips, her hands entangling in his hair as he angled his thrusts deeper. She moved with him, wrapping her legs around his hips and thrusting upwards, revelling in the delicious friction.

Lou gripped the doorframe with a loud gasp, unbelieving of the sight before her. The colourful tribal tattoo on his left arm gave it away completely; there was no doubt in her mind who was tangled in the bed sheets.

"What the hell are you doing?" They both turned their attention to the shrill voice, shocked at getting caught. Katie pushed Stu away from her, gathering herself in the sheets and leaving nothing for him to cover up with.

"Oh my god!" She shrieked breathlessly. The Englishman tried to regain his composure; a difficult feat when he was completely naked with nothing to protect his dignity. He looked to Katie who swiftly whipped a plush pillow across the room in order for him to shield himself from the surprised couple standing by the door.

"Shit..." He mumbled, the corners of his lips curving upwards. It shouldn't have been funny, but it actually was in a way. Of all the places to get caught, he never thought it would have been in his own house; his own bed for that matter. Lou folded her arms across her chest, chastising the pair of them with just a disapproving look. She turned her head towards Stephen who was stood frozen next to her; she dug an elbow into his side to get him out of his trance. He cleared his throat, leaning close to Lou's ear.

"Guess we're no' the only ones havin' mornin' sex."

"...I saw his thing..." She whispered with a slight giggle. The Irishman scowled; trust Lou to look straight at the crotch.

"Cover yer eyes next time." _Next time? _She prayed she wouldn't have to relive this moment; she was totally embarrassed for them.

"We weren't given any warning. It cannot be unseen!" She shook her head, trying to forget the image now resounding in her mind. Katie and Stu exchanged a glance, both of them breathing heavily. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Erm-" Stu was quick to jump to their defence, or so the Londoner thought.

"What does it look like, huh?"

"You really are a nasty piece of work, Stu. Brainwashing innocent women into bed..."

"Brainwashing? Innocent women? Into bed?" He scoffed, sitting down on the bed again. "Believe me; she came of her own accord." Lou stared open-mouthed at her friend; she was nervously playing with the edge of the bed sheet she was wrapped up in, averting the burning gazes she was receiving.

"Katie?" She sighed after a long moment of silence. Glancing at Stu, he offered her a reassuring smile; something that she hadn't really noticed before. He was wordlessly coaxing her to tell them the truth.

"Alright, it's true."

"See?" Stu simpered, gaining a mental point over the woman who had beaten him at poker the night before.

"Is this just a one-time thing? God, tell me this is just a one-time thing." She watched them exchange another look, this time they smirked at each other and Katie bit her lip. That was all the confirmation she required. Katie gave her a small shake of the head to verify her answer. "It's not?" The next words out of her mouth completely astounded Lou in particular.

"We've kind of been sleeping together for a while now."

"Yeah, and if you don't mind, we're not finished here..." She punched him hard in the arm at his inappropriate comment; he groaned, hissing soon after and rubbing over his skin to soothe it. Lou ran a hand through her hair; she was mad, and understandably so.

"I can't believe this. You've been lying to us?"

"No, I mean, yes but-"

"We like to think of it as just delaying the truth, right Katie?" Stu stroked a hand over her shoulder, raising his eyebrows and widening his eyes in an attempt to get her to agree. She swallowed hard, finally nodding.

"What are you two doing together this early anyway?" She focused her question at the New Yorker and her strangely calm pro. "Some people like their sleep, you know..." Lou let out a bitter laugh.

"If you were referring to yourselves then what we saw wasn't sleeping." Katie shrugged her shoulders, conjuring up something reputable in her mind. All she could think of were lame excuses.

"...Stu thrusts in his sleep."

"That's total bullshit."

"How do you know? He might have sexsomnia." _Well, he has one type of 'somnia',_ she thought.

"Katie, seriously, what is this?"

"It's nothing!" She defended, her voice loud and irritated. "We're just fucking around. Having fun! You should try it sometime."

"Friends don't lie to each other. This is like you're cheating on me and Ches...With _him_."

"'Him' has a name." Stu corrected. "He also has a stalk on so can you leave us alone? At least let us finish what we started."

"Ste?" Lou nudged him in his side as he kept his eyes on the scene before him. He looked shocked more than anything, but he ended up exchanging a smirk with Stu. "Stop staring and say something."

"Ah don'..."

"Oh for fuck sake, did you know all along?" He turned to her quickly, trying to reassure her.

"No, lass." Lou let out a tut, storming off back down the staircase.

"This house is full of fucking liars."

"Love, wait. Ah swear Ah didn't know anythin'!" Stephen sent a rather apologetic look to the two guilty parties, almost apologising for walking in on them in the middle of 'business'. He ran down the stairs and shouted after Lou, his words getting fainter the closer he got to the front door. "He hid this from me an' Drew too!"

They heard the slamming of the door and more yelling, presumably coming from the driveway. Stu shuffled closer to Katie on the bed, nuzzling his nose against her shoulder as she stared ahead of her at the open door. This wasn't supposed to have happened; she figured they wouldn't be disturbed when they were in his own house but clearly he was frivolous when it came to giving out keys. She pulled away from him, making sure she was fully covered by the bed sheets before looking back at him; his jade eyes were shining in the dim light, almost hard to resist.

"Well, we had a good run."

"Hold on," Stu frowned, standing up from the bed. "That's it?"

"What do you mean?"

"'We had a good run'..." He walked over to his chest of drawers, pulling out a fresh pair of black boxer shorts to slip on. They obviously weren't going to get to finish anything. "What, this meant fuck all to you?"

"The game's over. We've been found out; which means we can't do this anymore."

"Why not? Isn't it better now that they know?"

"You've changed your tune." She said, folding her arms across her chest. "And no, it's not better. Lou clearly hates me for lying to them and shacking up with you." Stu advanced towards her, his arms wide in gesture.

"Come on, it's not like they have the higher power. Your mates have both gotten with their pros since NXT started. Who are they to judge us, huh?" He went to kiss her but she stopped him with a thin finger to his lips.

"No good can come of this, Stu." His hearty chuckle boomed through the room.

"The sex is pretty fucking good-"

"Oh please, this isn't about the sex anymore. This all meant something to you, didn't it?"

"You can't tell me that it meant absolutely nothing. Not even you can fake it that well, sweetheart." He leant forwards, keeping his voice low. She knew he was trying his best to defend himself. He knew for a fact that she wasn't faking anything. Her whole body shivered with pleasure for a brief moment as he mockingly moaned in her ear. "Oh, Stu...Harder...Ohhh..." Katie closed her eyes and grumbled, shoving him in the chest and cutting him off.

"Shut your fucking mouth." She watched him smirk and immediately clenched her fists at her sides. "...Besides, I sound nothing like that..."

"You sounded exactly like that. I think you're forgetting that I was there every time. I was the one making you moan with pleasure; every word out of your mouth was followed by a whimper." The Londoner scowled, her eyes burning with irritation. She hated it when he was right. "My point is you reckon you can go this cold turkey?"

"Certainly." His chuckle boomed through the small room.

"Yeah, right. I bet you can't last a week without me." He pushed his lips to her ear again, wanting to turn this around on her. "Feeling lucky? Want to take that bet?" Katie felt his hands playing with the edges of the bed sheet covering her; he was taunting her with such teasing touches. She rested her hands against his pectorals after making sure that the bed sheet was securely tied around her.

"Do you really think that I need you that badly?"

"You may not need me, but I know that you want me."

"I don't want you." He smirked, looking deep into her eyes; not once blinking or breaking contact.

"Liar."

"A week without sex with you..." She pondered, pursing her lips. "Fine, easy enough."

"We'll see about that."

"I'm going to laugh in your face when it's you who cracks first." He took a step away from her, another frown setting in his stern features.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, I think it's you who can't last the week without me. Well, guess what? You're going to have to. Deal with it."

* * *

Stu and Katie walked into the FCW area side-by-side, acting as if nothing had gone on between them. She hoped that word hadn't spread about what happened earlier with Lou and Stephen but, knowing the close proximity, Chesca had probably already had the news broken to her. He stopped her outside one of the small locker rooms, his hands bracing the top of her arms. "Get sorted and I'll meet you in the training facility." She wiggled out of his grasp wordlessly and opened the door, immediately catching the disapproving gaze of her two closest friends.

"Oh, look who it is!" Chesca spoke loudly, oddly chirpy.

"Well thanks for hopping off Bennett's dick long enough to come to the FCW arena." Lou's sarcasm really wasn't helping matters. Katie knew she was upset but she didn't expect her to react like this. "Didn't think you'd make it." She dropped her gym bag onto one of the nearby benches, ready to change into more comfortable clothes for a gym session.

"Guys-"

"Katie Marie Adams," Lou started, staring at her friend and holding her hand up before Katie could butt in. Middle-naming meant she was really in trouble. "You lied to us."

"I didn't lie!"

"We thought that he was hurting you. Do you have any idea how worried we were?" Katie ducked her head to avoid their harsh gaze but she could still feel it on her. "Katie, we're your friends. We're supposed to tell each other these things. And if you can't do that then I guess our friendship has just gone to shit."

"Are you ashamed of him? Does he have a tiny dick?" Chesca joined in, taking the conversation in a completely different direction.

"He doesn't have a tiny dick..." Lou had tried to block out what she had seen that morning but it was becoming futile. "Oh god, that image has been burnt into my retinas. I need to see Ste naked again."

"Again?" Chesca and Katie were wide-eyed as Lou flustered and waved her hands about to dismiss their question.

"No, don't turn this around on me." She turned back to Katie, folding her arms across her chest. "Why?" Her question was aimed directly at the Londoner. All she could really do was shrug.

"I don't really know why."

"Stop lying to us. You do know; just tell us why." After a long moment, Katie sighed deeply.

"We get so mad at each other. There are times when I literally want to punch him square in the mouth." She looked up to see her friends exchanging a knowing look. That was the part of their relationship that they had witnessed; they just presumed it ended then and there. "But, instead I guess we channelled the anger we had for each other into sex. It's not a big deal." The New Yorker widened her arms in frustration.

"Not a big deal?" Chesca pushed her in the arm, trying not to make the conversation go several octaves higher.

"It's a totally big deal!"

"How long has this been going on for?" Once again, Katie found herself fixing her gaze to the floor.

"Okay, before you say anything else let me just say that _he_ started it. We first got together the night I went over to his house to watch those wrestling DVDs. I pushed him in his swimming pool and he was all wet and angry..."

"You said that all you did was watch the footage!" Lou argued, her eyes broadening as everything began to make sense. "But, the bruises that were on your wrists..."

"Sex bruises, right?" _The best kind of bruises_. Chesca smirked, noticing a newer bruise on the side of her neck as Katie tied her hair in a loose bun. "I guess that answers my next question, then."

"What question?"

"Is he good in bed?" Lou smacked her on the arm, even though she secretly wanted to know the answer too. Typical best friends; they had a lot of catching up to do by the looks of things.

"Ches!" Katie smirked, seeing no need to lie anymore. To be perfectly honest, she had been wanting to brag about this for so long. She had no idea how she had hidden it until now.

"I wouldn't have kept on doing it with him if he wasn't."

"I seriously cannot believe this." Lou said, taking a seat next to her friend on the bench. "You hate each other." Chesca laughed, sitting on the other side of Katie.

"I don't think they do anymore..."

"I don't know." The Londoner shrugged, unsure about anything to do with Stu anymore. "It was fun sneaking around, but then we got caught. I don't know, it just doesn't seem fun anymore; maybe I'm wrong about the whole situation...I'm sorry for lying to you guys about this, especially for so long. We should be able to tell each other everything, just like the old times."

"Damn right."

"Do you guys forgive me?" She focused in on Lou's strict expression before her features softened and she felt herself being pulled her into a hug.

"Of course we do."

"Awh, I love us." Lou laughed as Chesca joined in on the embrace.

"Me too."

"Me three." They were relieved to make up so quickly. The half-Italian pulled away, watching as Katie dragged out her gym clothes. "So, are you and Stu going to get together for real now?"

"I doubt it." She answered swiftly, wanting to drop the subject completely. "But, hey, what about you and your fixes, huh? How about Lou tells us about her night with Ste? That's also huge news." Lou couldn't hide her giggles, or the crimson heat rushing to her cheeks.

"In more ways than one..."

* * *

**A/N - Thank you Jojo Barrett, DeansTrueGirl, wades wife, , ThatGirl54, hOtlilmofo, moxxie23 and wwemagpie for the reviews. Amber (slore queen), we didn't get one from you, so we will be expecting two ASAP. K? Thanks. Part 2 will be posted tomorrow. Lou, Katie and Chesca :)**


	11. Hide And Seek Part 2

**Chapter 11 – **_**Hide and Seek (Part 2)**_

"Ye'll tire yerself too much if ye'll keep running at that pace." Drew sighed, leaning his forearms on the treadmill Chesca was running on; the half-Italian, had earphones in blasting Black Label Society's Stillborn, snorted through her fast breaths and picked up the small bottle of water resting on the console. She took a long sip and threw the plastic to her pro, who didn't expect it and failed in catching it.

"You better get ready to step into the ring," she said, taking deep breaths as she started to slow down her rhythm. "Someone promised me I'd get to practise dropkicks." Drew picked the bottle up and looked at her for a couple of seconds. She was done with her cardio session, the gym shorts' fabric stretching with her legs as she extended them on the bench; the Scotsman turned his eyes away from her as she caught him. "Are you done staring?"

"Hmm?"

"Never mind." The young rookie replied with a small smirk on her lips. She walked up the steps of the training ring, and ran the ropes in the meanwhile that her pro was taking off his shirt; she imposed herself not to look at his muscles flexing as he did so, and ordered her mind to remember about Hawkins. After all, the New Yorker had been her escape from liking Drew and letting her indulge in the pleasures of even thinking that something between them could have ever happened.

"Something had me thinking you were buried in this gym."

As both pro and rookie heard that female voice, they turned their heads and discovered that it was Taryn to have joined them. The blonde smiled widely at them, her heels clicking on the parquet of the gym as she walked towards the training facility; Chesca forced herself into lifting her hand to wave at her. Drew seemed surprised enough to see his wife; he held her in his arms for a second as soon as she had approached him, while she left a quick kiss on his thin lips.

"What are ye doin' here?" He asked, much to the woman's disappointment.

"Just thought I'd pass by and see how my husband is doing." She replied, pushing a strand of hair away from the Scotsman's face. "What are you guys up to?" Chesca rolled her eyes as the Southern girl spoke. It wasn't jealousy – at least she didn't believe so - it was just that the blonde was the furthest from being similar to her. She was all focused into starting her wrestling training with the Scottish wrestler, and because of that not-too-smart Barbie lookalike, she had to delay it.

"Dropkick day," Galloway said, freeing himself from Taryn. "And we're running late on the schedule, lass. Stu needs to get in the ring with Katie still."

"How about I help her with the training?"

"Sorry?" Chesca interrupted, pretending that she hadn't heard anything.

"I mean," Taryn continued, pulling her hair up in a loose bun, "I don't think you can practice body slams with Drew." The Scotsman could totally see in Chesca's eyes that if she could have done it, she'd have kicked his wife out of the gym. It was time for him to stand in the middle.

"Love," the pro spoke, looking at the blonde. "Doun't worry, we're good."

"Chesca?" Taryn talked directly to the female wrestler in the ring. "What do you say?"

The temptation starting to grow in Chesca would have wanted her to say yes, and to let her step inside the ropes with her. Maybe, something could have casually gone wrong and the blonde would have ended up breaking one of her fingers, or being submitted in a leg lock so hard that she couldn't have been able to walk for a month.

Drew crossed the half-Italian's look; he was begging her. He was literally praying for her not to release her anger and frustration over his wife. And thankfully, Chesca was smart enough to know that 'eliminating' the only thing dividing her from the Scotsman wouldn't have been the right thing to do. Once again, she kicked the memories of the night spent with Drew and of the love she thought to have felt away. She relaxed her face in a smile and shook her head.

"I must do what my pro says, Taryn."

"Oh well then," the blonde shrugged her shoulders, and sat on one of the benches facing the ring. "I'll just keep you guys company then. Be careful not to hit him too hard in the head, huh?"

From behind his wife's back, as he got ready to wrestle with Chesca, Drew sighed and sent a grateful look to his rookie. In response, she inhaled deeply and nodded once. Their secret had to be kept safe, and the best way to do it was to behave like nothing more than simple colleagues; everything was safe, for the moment.

* * *

Stu had been in the training facility for just under fifteen minutes with Katie, discussing things not exactly on the topic of wrestling. Eventually he pushed her towards the weights and gestured for her to pick up a set. "Get lifting then." She turned to him, clearly not impressed that after all this time he was still ordering her about.

"Don't you think I've worked out enough today?"

"We never finished what we were doing, remember?" She rolled her eyes, just wanting to forget what had happened that morning. "You want guns like mine. Perfectly sculpted. Look at them. Admire them." He flexed his muscles, bunching and tightening under his taut tanned skin. She watched his biceps contract and couldn't help but stare. Her chocolate-brown eyes darted to his cocky smirk as he leant forward and held out his arm to her. "Touch them." Immediately, Katie backed away. What he was doing was completely obvious in her mind. She had to take a defiant stance or else the ball would be in his court; and she wasn't having that for even one second.

"No."

"Go on, I don't bite." She folded her arms over her chest, letting out a deep sigh.

"If I recall correctly, you do."

"Well, I don't bite anymore; I'm not allowed." Stu placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed lightly. "In one week I can." She shrugged him off, trying to concentrate on lifting the dumbbells which were gripped tightly in her hands. Her tongue swiped over her dry lips as she looked over her shoulder.

"You won't be able to hold out...But you're going to have to." He watched her for a long moment, secretly admiring her training her already-toned arms further. This wasn't good; he wanted to get under her skin. He wanted to challenge her.

"Need help with that?" Katie almost dropped the weight from the closeness; his hot breath fanned across the back of her neck, making her shiver.

"I know how to lift weights, Stu."

"Really? Do you really?"

"Okay, I know what you're doing." She stepped forward, placing the dumbbells back in their place on the weight rack. "You're trying to get to me. Let me tell you something, big boy, it's not going to work." He lodged his tongue into his cheek, trying not the give away the fact that she was right. This training session wasn't about working out in the slightest; it was about trying to get his rookie to cave in.

"You know what? You can do weight training in your own time. Get in the ring."

"Ooh, authoritarian. You really know how to treat a lady." Katie rolled her eyes when he stared at her, his expression serious and stern. She rolled into the training ring in a less than dignified way; Stu climbed the steps and ducked under the second rope, his feet planted firmly on the loose canvas. He backed into the springy ropes, pointing to the opposite side where she stood.

"Run the ropes." She placed her hands on her hips, feeling defiant as usual.

"I ain't leap-frogging over you."

"You don't have a choice. We're the only two in here." He reminded her with extra emphasis; like he had something planned for the two of them. "You shouldn't be scared to do simple stuff like this." Katie screwed up her face, offended that he would think that she was afraid to do something so straightforward in a ring that she had been working in for well over a year.

"I'm not scared, you idiot. You're just really tall. When am I ever going to be against some girl that's your size?"

"Clearly you don't remember Aloisia..." The Englishman drifted off, not really wanting to remember that monster of a woman himself. She could have probably lifted him over her shoulder and torture-racked him with ease. He shook his head, leaning back into the ropes with a solemn expression on his face. "Come on, I haven't got all day."

"But, I haven't stretched yet."

"Fine, do that then."

"You don't really have your head in the game today." She spoke with a condescending tone. "Something bothering you, Bennett?" He watched her bend over in front of him, stretching her legs and touching her toes slowly. She could've sworn that she heard him gulp from behind her.

"...Absolutely not."

"Mmm, stretching feels so good." Stu tried to hide the growl which escaped his thin lips, fast losing his patience. He tugged on her arm, twisting her around and inadvertently pulling her against him.

"Enough of that."

"See something you like?" Katie giggled, brushing her hand over his shorts and sinking her teeth into her bottom lip. "Getting excited, are we?" His eyes followed her hands, gently stroking him through the dark material. He couldn't crack; he just couldn't. She feigned a mournful sigh when he forcefully grabbed a hold of her wrists and turned her around so she was against the ropes.

"Ropes. Run them. Now."

For once, she did as she was told. Katie bounced off the ropes on opposite sides of the ring as Stu watched her with hawk precision. He clutched her hand when she strode to the middle of the canvas, placing his other hand at the small of her back and whipping her into the ropes with sheer force. She ricocheted off them, running under him as he leapt over her petite frame and landed expertly back on his feet. He nodded towards her to have her go and she obliged, wanting to get the training out of the way so she didn't have to endure anymore of his snide remarks and shifty movements. As she whipped him into the ropes, Stu stretched them back a fair distance before springing forwards, much quicker than either of them anticipated. They crashed into each other in the centre of the ring, Katie landing on his hard body with a loud yelp.

"I told you!" She snarled, punching him firmly in the chest with no thought for his welfare. "I can't leap-frog you." He growled back at her, the back of his head throbbing from smacking hard into the canvas.

"You didn't even try!"

"I fucking did."

"If you think that you can't do it, then you're going to get it in your head that you can't." Katie scoffed; tempted to place her hands around him and wring his neck.

"You really piss me off."

"I know." He flashed a smile at her, almost proud of himself for getting to her. She stared at him as he edged closer, pulling her on top of him further and brushing his lips against hers teasingly. Kissing wasn't cheating; he was completely willing to hedge his bets. Katie ran her tongue across the tips of her teeth before climbing off of him and rolling out of the ring.

"You're insufferable." She whined, opting to throw a few hooks to the hanging punching bag in the corner of the room. Stu watched her with a simper, knowing that he had gotten under her skin; the punching bag taking the brunt of her frustration. He mumbled to himself as he felt the thrumming tingle in his shorts, if anything, becoming even more prominent.

"This is going to be a bloody long week..."

* * *

The half-Italian sat backstage, lacing her boots up over the leather tights she was already wearing; she needed to gain all the concentration she could have because the upcoming match was against a tough opponent like Madison. Also, she was going up in the NXT rankings, and a victory over Maryse's rookie would totally do her good.

Chesca stood up and looked at herself in the mirror; she adjusted her elbow pads and tightened her wristbands, at least until she heard someone clearing his throat behind her back. McIntyre was right there; he was standing with folded arms in a blue dress shirt and dark grey dress pants, his hair in a pony tail as usual. The rookie admitted to herself that not only her pro was good looking; there were times in which he was gorgeous to look at.

"Hi pro."

"Oh, ye talk tae me nou'?" Drew sarcastically said, sending her a smirk.

"Since you're at ringside with me," she replied with an annoyed sigh. "I say we better behave like we're the best of friends, right?"

"Ye do say smart things at times." He continued, raising his eyebrows at her. Chesca rolled her eyes; it was one of those times in which she'd have liked to kick him in the head. She couldn't blame him after all; he was acting the same way she had been acting towards him. Like a complete asshole.

The bell ringing from the arena and the small crowd exploding signalled the end of the previous match; it was almost time for them to make their entrance.

"After ye." The Scotsman nodded to the curtains, adding a small bow to it. Chesca didn't have to hear it twice; she shook her head at him and started to walk towards the gorilla position, cracking the knuckles of her left hand on her right's palm. The young woman's eyes enlightened as soon as she got there; a familiar blond guy, in a pair of black leather pants and just a dress jacket over his bare torso was talking to the security guards.

"Hawkins!" Drew heard his rookie exclaim as soon as she had seen the New Yorker; the former Edgehead turned just in time to see her run to him, and wrap her arms around his thick neck. The Scotsman busied himself in rolling up the shirt over his elbows; he totally wasn't in the mood to see those two behave like teenagers.

"Hey you," Curt said, eyeing her up. "I heard you have a match in a few minutes."

"Exactly." The Scottish wrestler's growling voice sounded. He totally didn't seem too uneasy with his presence.

"How about I join you guys at ringside?" Hawkins suggested, shrugging his shoulders. "Think about how crazy the fangirls would go."

"Ah doun' think that-"

"Shut up Drew," Chesca silenced her pro. "It's going to be fun." Without wasting time, the half-Italian positioned herself in front of the stage entrance; Curt went on her right, offering her an arm which she gladly took. Seeing as Drew wasn't doing anything, the rookie turned her head at him and whistled.

"Only fer this time." Galloway walked up to her left, lending her an arm just like Hawkins had done. He had to pretend that he didn't like the touch of her hand on him; the young woman caught his eyes for a second, and smiled. For once during that day, it had been a sincere smile.

As the trio entered, the people in the FCW arena greeted them with a mixture of surprise and excitement. Hawkins seemed to be the one in his natural habitat; he took Chesca's hand and showed her off, lifting up her arm so she could turn on her heels. Drew walked a couple of steps away from them, fully in character; he clapped his hands and pointed at his rookie, from time to time choosing a random first row fan to shout at, saying that the brunette under his guidance was the best out of the whole bunch of participants.

The blond took her up to the steps, a self confident smirk plastered on his features as he pushed the lower rope down with his foot, making it easier for her to enter in the squared circle. Drew walked up to the corner, trying to stay calm; his first instinct would have been to stop the New Yorker from acting like a cheerleader to his own rookie by punching his pronounced jaw. Yet, Chesca seemed to appreciate the constant cheering that her current fuck buddy was providing her with, firing up the crowd and convincing them into preferring her to Madison.

Katie's ultimate enemy entered from behind the curtains, followed by an ever so stunning Maryse; the leading woman on the rankings shook her head in a disgusted way as she looked at the Glen Cove native, which was now massaging Chesca's deltoids with his hands and whispering words into her ear. The French-Canadian pro's music kept on blasting as Madison jumped on the second rope, turning her head and then sending a challenging look to the half-Italian.

Drew however, was at a breaking point. He went inside the ring, shooting a glare to the man that was taking his place into mentoring Chesca; Hawkins rolled his eyes as soon as he saw him getting closer.

"Get back tae yer place nou'."

"Kick her ass," were the last words Curt said to the young woman, before he rolled out from under the lowest rope. The rookie looked at her pro, not without a snort.

"We need this victory, just tae carry on yer newborn winning streak," Drew said to her, leaning down to talk into her ear. "So doun't let me dou'n." Chesca couldn't believe how he could find it in himself to behave like a normal pro, especially after what she'd done to him. For a second, she looked up into his wonderful eyes, wondering how he could have the patience to deal with someone that was clearly pushing him away like she was doing. "Ches?"

"Y-yes." She finally said, brushing her hands through her hair and acting as if nothing had happened.

The bell rang, and Drew went out the ring and leant with his hands on the apron. Almost like a female Festus, the half-Italian let a scream out her lungs to completely get into the zone; she sent worries and problems away, and shot a self confident look to her opponent.

The two women locked up in the middle of the ring, but after a few seconds Chesca had been stronger enough to kick the girl from Raleigh in her abdominals and make sure she'd be the successful one in tempting a headlock, taking her under her arm. Madison pushed the half-Italian forward, sending her against the ropes; on her way back, the girl stopped in the middle and performed a leap frog, but McIntyre's rookie took the boost that she got from running the ropes on the other side to take the chance and strike a spear on her opponent, causing the small crowd to go wild. Madison ended up with her back on the mat, and the half-Italian hooked her leg; but she obtained just a two count.

"That's it, baby!" The blond wrestler at ringside shouted, slamming his hands on the apron; Galloway rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the former Edgehead's enthusiasm.

Smacking her hand on her thighs, Chesca demanded support from her supporters. She waited for Madison to stand up before kicking her again, pulling her head between her own legs and using all her strength to lift her up on her shoulders, preparing her for a power bomb; but Madison literally dived herself down on the other side, sliding between her legs and performed a roll up. The referee counted, but the Chesca's opponent only got a count of two. Both Curt and Drew sighed, while Maryse screamed at Madison to do a better job and be meaner.

McIntyre stomped his fists on the apron rhythmically, trying to help Chesca in standing up from the armbar that she had been submitted to. Hawkins shot a rapid look to the Scotsman, and ended up running on the stairs, stepping with his feet on the ropes and clapping his hands over his head; Drew didn't like how his rookie seemed to like that kind of support. As soon as the blond had started with his stadium-like cheering, Chesca had looked at him with a smirk on her lips and struggled with all the force she could muster, finally freeing herself from Madison's grip.

Chesca threw a punch to her face, and her opponent replied; they went on for a couple of minutes, the boos and cheers from the people sitting in the FCW arena, but this time it was Maryse's rookie to win that confrontation. She rapidly performed an uppercut on Chesca, turning on her heels, leaving her slightly stunned in the middle of the ring. Madison ran the ropes thinking that it'd have been her chance to strike a clothesline on her opponent, but as she was almost a feet away from her, her opponent lifted her knee up.

It connected with Madison's abdominals; the woman from North Carolina fell forward, rolling over Chesca's leg and ending up on the mat, groaning in pain. Drew widened his blue eyes and unconsciously smiled; the young woman was really doing her best. Hawkins had jumped off the steps, looking in amazement at Chesca; the wrestler in him was falling more in love with her by the minute. An idea flashed through the half-Italian's head; she licked the sweat on her lips and smirked, then pointed her finger at the Scotsman. Drew raised an eyebrow, curious.

Chesca took advantage of an extremely tired and sore Madison, bending over so she could lift her up from under her arms. She pushed her head slightly on her side, and looked around; McIntyre folded his arms on his chest, and pulled his lower lip in his mouth. A genuine smile slowly appeared on his features; Chesca had loaded Madison into the Future Shock DDT, his finishing move.

She performed it perfectly, and the people exploded in a cheer; the half-Italian finally obtained a count of three, and the bell sealed the match's ending. Hawkins jumped on the spot, and brushed his hands through his blond hair; Drew slowly walked inside the ring, the satisfied smirk never leaving his lips.

As soon as Chesca saw him, she turned to face him with her hands on her hips. He probably didn't know that the fact that she had used his finisher was a way to show him how, despite all the bad blood that had started to flow between them, she loved how he wasn't giving up on her, behaving like and even maybe better than Hunter. She smiled, and bent her knees while bowing her head at him. The Scotsman kept on applauding her and the amazing job she had done; he wanted to pick her up in his arms and hold her right in the middle of the ring.

The only one who could do it in that moment was the blond man that had just stepped in the ring. Immediately going to greet Chesca, Curt threw his arms around her and lifted her up from the mat, turning around. For a moment, Drew feared that he could end up kissing her soft lips in front of everyone; but he just left a noisy and humid kiss on her sweaty cheek, raising her arm up in victory, again.

Almost like a joke, the words of McIntyre's theme song echoed in the arena in that very moment: '_What is yours now is mine_'.

_Ah hate coincidences_, Drew sighed to himself.

* * *

Walking through the curtain, Lou had her arm looped through Brett's. She had been out at ringside, first introducing the match then cheering Brett on. Her eyes landed on Stephen, thick arms crossed across his wide chest. His stare burned straight through her and it made her heart race. Slowly, she released the grip she had on Brett's arm.

"Lou, are you coming for some drinks with us?" She stopped in her tracks, her gaze darting between Brett and Stephen. She couldn't help but compare the two men. Both incredibly attractive, but Stephen did something to her she couldn't quite put her finger on. Just being around him made her happy; she could guarantee he would be able to put a smile on her face. Brett and Stephen were now staring at each other; a battle of dominance. No doubt some territorial behaviour was about to begin.

"I already have plans, but thank you for inviting me."

"Maybe another time." Brett wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards him. He pressed his lips to her cheek then winked at her before sauntering off past Stephen. With a deep breath, Lou managed to look at Stephen. He looked less than impressed; his eyes still focused on the path Brett had just taken past him. Although guilt racked her body, she tried to tell herself she had nothing to feel guilty about. She and Stephen weren't exclusive and an innocent kiss on the cheek was nothing to start drama over. But the urge to profusely apologise to Stephen was too strong.

"What did Ah tell yeh?" Stephen spoke up eventually. Lou didn't move from her spot; Stephen's gaze held her there.

"He's a friend." An incredible sense of déjà vu washed over her. She wondered if Stephen would ever get that she and Brett were friends and nothing more.

"Ah know. That won't stop him from tryin'."

"So?" Shrugging her shoulders, Lou set off down the corridor and away from Stephen. She needed to get changed into something a little more suitable than the tiny black strapless dress she currently had on.

Stephen was quick to follow her, softly taking her arm in his hand and halting her movements. "What do yeh mean, so?"

"I'm single." Lou stated, making Stephen sigh. Her point was loud and clear. Turning her around to face him, he let his hands slip to the back of her neck, tilting her head back. His lips were fast on hers, massaging them gently and claiming her as his own. Having to grip onto Stephen's arms for support, she felt her knees weaken. Just one of the many effects he had on her.

Pulling away from her breathless, Stephen murmured against her lips. "Mine." His arms slipped around her lithe body, pulling her flush against him. Lou felt her whole body shiver in response to his words and actions.

"You're claiming me now?" Lou asked breathlessly; her tone joking but her question serious.

"Ah did that last night." Stephen spoke, his voice husky then his lips were fast on hers again. She felt the passion in their kiss through every inch of her body. "Get changed an' Ah'll meet yeh at the ring."

* * *

The pair were unsure where to go, but Lou knew deep down that she wanted something very indulgent and unhealthy. A lot of the FCW roster ventured across to Eats American Grill between training and after shows. Now settled in a small both, Lou was snuggled up against him. Ever since the heated kiss backstage she wanted nothing more than to get her hands on him again, but for now chocolate would have to do. "I'll have a chocolate milkshake. Large." Stephen glanced down at the menu then back up again. He mulled over his next words but eventually spoke up.

"As yeh pro, Ah'm suggestin' yeh don't get that."

"Jealous?" Lou smirked, knowing his battle with sugary goodness.

"No."

"I've heard that you were once a little podgy." Lou poked Stephen in his stomach, lingering slightly and stroking her fingers down his abdominals.

"Ah may have lost some fat during me time at FCW." Stephen draped his arm across the back of the booth, watching Lou intently as she read over the menu.

"They use your before and after pictures." She looked up at him, her face serious before breaking into a smile. They both ordered, Lou opting for a cheeseburger and Stephen getting as much grilled chicken as possible onto one plate.

Lou's eyes widened as her chocolate milkshake was placed before her. She wrapped her lips around the straw, eyes slipping shut and lightly moaning as the first drop of chocolate touched her tongue. "Mmm...This is so good." Her eyes flicked open, immediately meeting Stephen's blazing gaze. Her tongue swiped over her lips before she sent him a smile. "Do you want a taste?"

Oh, he wanted a taste alright. His hand slipped to hers, pulling it away from the cold glass. "Lou?"

"Hmm?" She prodded the milkshake with her straw before turning her attention back to Stephen.

"Will yeh stay at mine tonight again?" Her movements stopped and his thumb brushed across her knuckles. "Ah want to show yeh somethin'."

"But I've seen everything." Stephen couldn't help but grin at her words as she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Ah'm no' talking about that, lass. Ah've got some old wrestling tapes to show yeh."

"Tapes? I know you're old but-"

"Watch it. Ah'm still in me prime." He squeezed her shoulder lightly and she immediately felt her cheeks flush.

"I would love to, thank you. You're the best pro." Kissing Stephen's cheek quickly, she couldn't help but smile. Being paired with him on NXT seemed like fate.

* * *

**A/N – Thank you MrsBarrett, miamitravel, moxxie23, Jojo Barrett, cenachick1981, peeps8705, ThatGirl54, wwemagpie and xHalosandwings for the lovely reviews. Teaser for the next chapter: what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Lou, Katie and Chesca. x**


	12. Keeping It Kayfabe

**Chapter 12 - Keeping It Kayfabe**

Glancing at her watch for the fourth time, Lou winced. So she was now thirty minutes late; thirty minutes she had spent trying to decide between the purple lace and the black lace. She had bought both in the end. With her Agent Provocateur bag in hand, among others, she rushed into the gym immediately spotting Stephen at the back lifting weights. Her heels clicked on the floor, she still needed to change but she wanted to let Stephen know she was there first. The clicking echoed through the gym, attracting the attention of those she passed.

"Hey," Lou spoke quietly. She knew Stephen had heard her but he continued lifting. Her gaze wandered to his biceps, contacting and relaxing with each rep. "Stephen?"

"Yer late."

"I know but-" Abruptly Stephen stood up, the weights on the machine crashing together as he did. Wiping his brow quickly with the back of his hand, he eventually rested his hands on his hips. He gave her the once over, stopping on her bags then her heels.

"But what? Yer late because yeh needed to shop?"

"No. Well, yes."

"Yeh need to start takin' this seriously."

"I am taking this seriously! I'm working my ass off!" Stephen laughed. She was pretty sure he was laughing _at_ her and it pissed her off.

"Ah'm not in the mood for this Lou. Next time, yeh don't let me down. Yeh can work ou' on yer own today." The Irishman moved around her but she quickly grabbed onto his arm.

"Ste, please don't be mad."

"Ah'm not mad, Ah'm disappointed." Those words hurt. She stood stunned, watching Stephen drag the back of his hand across his brow. "Ah've worked damn hard to get to where Ah am an' Ah expect yeh to do the same."

"You don't think I'm working hard?"

Stephen pointed to the shopping bags in her hands. "Ah don't think yeh are, lass."

Lou scoffed and shook her head before mumbling under her breath. "That's the last time I try and do something nice for you."

"What?" Lou narrowed her eyes and held up the Agent Provocateur bag for Stephen to see. His eyebrows shot up and she didn't miss the small smirk creeping onto his lips.

"Well that's fine; I don't want to work out with you anyway. I'll go workout with Katie if she isn't screwing Bennett." She spun around, eyeing the way she had just walked in from; honestly she didn't want Stephen to be mad at her, but she had started her little tirade and she couldn't quit now.

"Wait." She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes meeting Stephen's. He was joking, of course he was. There was no way he would be so mad over something so trivial. "Don't forget to bend wit' yeh legs when yeh lifting them weights." Lou narrowed her eyes and proceeded to give Stephen the finger before marching out of the gym.

* * *

"The casino later is going to be awesome!" Chesca chirped excitedly before blowing on her hot espresso, her fingers clasped around the small cup feeling comfortably warm. She and Katie were sat in the hotel lobby, chatting about most things in their lives, the conversation shifting to their upcoming evening in Las Vegas after the show. Katie took a sip of her caramel Frappuccino and set it back down on the coffee table in front of them.

"I know, but let's just get through this NXT taping first." She smiled at her half-Italian friend, pulling her phone out of her pocket to check the time. "I haven't even got anything decent to wear."

"Maybe we should've gone shopping with Lou. I mean, that's where I'm guessing she's at; either that or she's fucking Ste."

"Nah, I walked past the gym on the way down here; Ste's in the gym all by himself." He seemed completely focused; Katie didn't miss the intensity in his eyes as he bench pressed a heavy set of weights. She figured that was just the way he worked out, until the veins in his neck popped out and his teeth grinded together in strain. "The best bet is that the shopaholic is shopping." They both giggled, aware of their friend's shopping tendencies; she could sniff out a sale like a police dog could crack. The laughter between the pair died down rather quickly as their eyes followed Stu and Drew as they stepped off the elevator, both dressed in their gym clothes. They approached the rookies together, the Englishman immediately catching Katie's cold stare, a smirk settling on his rugged features.

"Ladies..." He greeted, taking the time to adjust the black baseball cap on his head.

Katie glanced at Chesca who rolled her eyes at their untimely interruption. She turned back to Drew and her pro, smiling sweetly. "Get lost." The Scotsman stepped forward, his blue eyes searching Chesca's face for a hint of confirmation that she wanted them to leave.

"Is that the way to treat ye' pro?" He asked, aiming his question at Katie but keeping his stare firmly on his rookie.

"If it's you or Stu then yeah."

Chesca laughed, drinking up the last of her espresso with the shake of the head. "Besides, you guys don't want to hear our conversation."

"Time o' the month?" Drew joked, earning appalled faces from the girls and Stu. Chesca's lips curled into a frown; that subject was never funny, just simply gross.

"Oh my god, no. Do you think that's what all girls talk about?"

"You're disgusting." Katie snarled, a grimace set on her features. The Englishman couldn't help but let a small smile brighten his face; he always found it hilarious when his rookie would chastise his Scottish friend. "If you must know we were talking about Ches' sexy times with Hawkins. So, do you want to hear about that?" Drew licked his lips, backing away from them and pulling Stu with him. He turned back to see the two young women giggling between themselves. Katie shook her head, taking another look at their retreating frames and speaking to no one in particular. "Didn't think so."

The half-Italian glanced their pros' way as they walked towards the exit of the lobby, turning her attention back to Katie and the conversation that they had started. "We have fun, by the way."

"Good, I'm glad. You deserve happiness." She placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly; truer words had never been spoken. Her attention was back to the hotel entrance almost straight away, Stu's laughter boomed outside as he spoke to a few other colleagues. Katie shook her head. "Ugh, he's such a pain in the arse."

"Stu?"

"Yeah, who else?"

"Well Drew isn't much better. He keeps pushing for us to be best friends."

"He comes off as proper creepy, Ches." Katie's comment was followed by another snigger, even from the otherwise hard-up half-Italian. "You've got to watch that." For once, she agreed whole-heartedly.

"I know, he really bugs me. Now I understand why you get so annoyed with Bennett."

The Londoner sucked on the straw of her Frappuccino, the gurgling sound of her trying to devour the last of her iced coffee quietly sounded. To be perfectly honest, she had been trying to avoid her pro at all costs this week unless she absolutely had to be around him for training. It had been difficult to say the least. "We're better than we used to be." She admitted, making Chesca scoff.

"I'm sure all the sex makes everything a lot better."

"We're not sleeping together anymore. It's not like that; there's absolutely fuck all there."

"I don't believe you." She laughed, earning a glare from Katie. "I think you guys are both in total denial."

"Don't start..."

The New Yorker widened her eyes as she saw Katie and Chesca sat on the sofas in the hotel lobby; just who she wanted to see. As calmly as she could she stormed over to them, her heels echoing through the lobby. If she didn't want to catch any attention she was doing a pretty lousy job. As she reached the sofa she chucked her bags down, startling both of the girls before she collapsed into a heap and let out an exaggerated sigh. She waited for one of her friends to speak up but they both continued to stare at her.

"Are you not going to ask what's wrong?" Lou sat up, her hands gripping onto the hard foam cushion.

"Okay. Why are you being such a drama queen, you bitch?" Katie smiled and Lou rolled her eyes before pointing her finger at her.

"You. You and your little sex games with Mr. Potato Head."

"What? He doesn't look like a potato!" Chesca snickered earning a glare from Katie, but her attention was soon back on Lou.

"Look Katie, your relationship with Stu is ruining mine with Stephen." She blurted out, blaming the Londoner for her disagreement with Stephen.

"No, you're ruining that relationship. You don't have to worry about me and Stu, who I have to add again, does not look like a potato."

"Whatever. So Ches, who are you fucking these days?" Chesca's eyes were wide at Lou's brash question. "Ugh, I don't care anymore. I need to lie down." She shook her head and picked up her bags before dragging herself up to her room. The remaining friends breathed long sighs as they watched Lou enter the elevator bag-first, smacking people coming off it out of her way. Katie turned back to Chesca, still feeling defensive over the New Yorker's comment about her pro.

"Stu doesn't look like a potato, does he?"

The half-Italian shrugged her shoulders with a giggle. "Well..." Katie stood up immediately with the intention of heading back to her own hotel room for a bit before they had to head off to the arena; clearly Chesca agreed with Lou, but she just couldn't see it. She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"You guys are lame."

* * *

"Lou! Wait up!" Stephen shouted down the corridor, watching his rookie drag her suitcase behind her.

"What have I done now?" He stood still, his thick muscled arms crossed across his chest. The hint of annoyance in her tone made him smile. He knew it wouldn't last long. As she neared him, her gaze wandered across his body before they shot up to meet his steely gaze.

"Ah'm sorry Ah snapped at yeh earlier. Ah just want yeh to get it in yeh head that no matter what goes on between us, Ah'm still yer pro. Yeh need to listen to me an' do as Ah say. Got it?" Stephen raised an eyebrow, waiting patiently for her response. His stance relaxed once she slowly nodded.

"I got it."

"Good, now go get ready. Ah've got somethin' to do before the show." Stephen took a step closer to her, taking one of her hands in his. He brought it up to his lips, gently pressing a kiss to the back of her hand.

"What do you have to do?" Lou asked, curiosity getting the better of her. Stephen smiled and dropped her hand.

"Nothin' fer yeh to worry over." With that he turned on his heel, briskly walking down the corridor.

Lou let out a sigh. Figuring things with Stephen would be smooth sailing when their interest first sparked; everything was now seeming much harder. Trying to shake those thoughts, she carried on her path towards the locker room.

* * *

Stu pushed open the door to the men's locker room only to be greeted by Stephen and Drew, who were immersed in a deep conversation. They both turned to him as they heard him step inside, identical smirks upon their masculine faces. The Scotsman laughed, making it clear that they were talking about him.

"Here comes the hero."

"Hero?" Stu questioned, his brow furrowed. "You know I prefer to play the villain." He chuckled, letting the strap of his gym bag slide off his shoulder so he could place it on the wooden bench in front of the lockers. "What's up?"

Stephen threw his t-shirt on as the Englishman began to go through his stuff. "Nothin'. Ah've been tryin' to sort things ou' wit' Lou practically all week. After we caught yeh wit' Katie she's been actin' weird around me. She reckons Ah knew about the two o' yeh."

"That was a fun morning..." Stu pondered, remembering the exact moment vividly. He wasn't as bothered as Katie was about getting found out, and perhaps that was obvious from his reaction and the conversation he had with her afterwards. For all of her defensiveness, he was almost certain that she would crack soon. "You know, she's a good girl when she wants to be. She may not listen to me during NXT, but get her in a bed or a shower, or whatever, and she'll do what she's told." Drew grinned, enjoying the banter which was unfolding between the three men. He walked up to Stu, placing a hand on his shoulder with a simper.

"Nice, ye tamed her?"

"She never needed taming." He answered, mirroring his friend's smirk. "She fucking wanted it more than I did."

"Was she good?" Stephen had finally piped up after a long moment; he promised himself that he wouldn't try to gather up information about Katie and Stu's dirty little deeds, more so for Lou's sake, but he couldn't help asking. He didn't want his rookie to hate him even more. Plus, he figured they were just beginning to make up after an unfocused week. Stu turned to the Irishman, his cocky demeanour all the more evident. Maybe he was a hero; he could say whatever he wanted and they would probably believe him.

"Oh, now you want to know, huh? Maybe I'm a gentleman; maybe I don't fuck and tell..." Drew slapped him hard between the shoulder blades; 'gentleman' and 'fuck' was such a contradiction.

"Come on!"

"Ah know that yeh'd tell us anyway."

"You guys really want to know? Because I could go into elaborate detail if that's what you really want." His delivery was very tongue-in-cheek.

"Wha' happened tae bein' a gentleman?" Drew asked, earning a quick glance from the Englishman.

"He got left at the locker room door."

"So, how was she?"

"Yeah, she was good." Stu nodded slightly with emphasis on the 'good' and a small smile, turning his attention back to his bag as Stephen and Drew exchanged a look, not quite sure why their friend had been so vague about his sexcapades with his rookie.

"Jus' good? Ah know yeh, fella. Yeh wouldn't carry on wit' the lass if she was jus' good." Stu took a seat on the bench next to his gym bag, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Look, mate-"

"Oh, Ah get it!" The Scotsman interrupted, a lilt to his voice and a brazen laugh escaping him. "The lass was easy!"

Immediately, and without any regard or consideration for his friend's welfare, Stu jumped up from the bench and all but lunged at Drew. He pushed him hard in the chest, shoving him across the room with so much force that his back smacked into the wall. Stu breathed harshly, shocked by his own outburst. He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to calm himself down. If anything, that gave it all away, but he still couldn't stop himself from reprimanding him for his jest comment.

"Don't talk about her like that, alright?" Drew braced himself on the wall behind him, the burning anger in Stu's eyes enough to shut him up completely; he knew better than to tease his friend when he was already seeing red. Stephen turned away from the pair; a small smirk graced his features as he firmly tied his wrist tape. This was exactly what was needed. Whether the Englishman liked it or not, he had made his true feelings for Katie loud and clear. It was only a matter of time before he gave in.

* * *

"Rookies," Matt Striker began as he addressed the remaining competitors stood in a line in the middle of the ring. "Tonight, you will compete in both a match where in order to win you must execute your pro's finisher, and right now, show us your charisma skills in a trash talk challenge. You will each have forty-five seconds to state your case as to why you should stay in this competition and the WWE Universe will judge the winner. Liberty, you have been selected to go first; please take a microphone."

The New Yorker glanced up the ramp, spotting Stephen who nodded in encouragement. She smirked, picking up the microphone, ready to address the WWE Universe. "Ladies and gentlemen, you are looking at your next NXT winner." Lou pointed at herself, hearing the crowd boo in response. She walked to the rope facing the titantron, eyeing up the pro's lined up on the stage. "And as soon as I've done that, I will take the diva's championship from Natalya." The crowd booed again, showing their love for their current Diva's champion. Lou turned around abruptly, taking a quick glance at the girls stood in a line across the ring. "I will destroy each and every one of you to get what I want." As Lou finished her little speech, Katie stepped forward and snatched the microphone from Lou's grip.

"Well wasn't that thoroughly entertaining..." She laughed bitterly, her sarcastic comment earning her a groan from the New Yorker. Katie glanced back at her with a smirk on her face; it almost mirrored Stu's when his persona was in full-swing. "I guess you've made it easier for me now that half the audience at home has tuned out having listened to your complete rubbish." The Londoner smacked her lips together in thought; she never claimed to be amazing on the microphone but hanging around with Stu had certainly increased her confidence. "Alright, here's the thing. My pro is the first winner of NXT; you might know him as Wade Barrett?" Her question was addressed to the WWE Universe. A chorus of boos sounded throughout the arena as the camera zoned in on Stu sat stern-faced on his stool, tapping a pen against his clipboard. Katie couldn't stop the laugh escaping her; no matter how much he didn't look fazed, she knew it caused him some grief. She watched him impatiently sigh, his thin lips pursed as he continued to listen, somewhat shocked as to what she had to say. "Yeah, well, he's bestowed a lot of knowledge to help me out, I mean, not that I necessarily need the help. Now, we may not get along but even he knows that I'm the most talented, most eloquent, most must-see competitor in this whole thing. I'm a winner and _when_ I win NXT, it's not just the Divas that need to watch their backs."

Suddenly, seemingly out of completely nowhere, Lou lashed out at Katie from behind; maybe the Londoner should have watched her own back. The crowd roared as the two women started going at it, scrapping with each other in the middle of the ring. Chesca looked on, shocked that her best friends were so into the kayfabe storylines. Madison pushed the half-Italian over, her face smacking against the canvas in the process causing a dull ache in her mouth; the Raleigh native was still incredibly bitter over her loss against Chesca at FCW the previous week. There seemed to be some sort of alliance going on between Madison and Angelina, as they, in turn, began administering hard shots to Chesca's mid-section. The camera shot to all the pros, watching on as a full-blown brawl erupted between all the rookies.

Stu and Stephen dropped their clipboards down on their stools and set off to the ring at a slow jog. Lou was on top of Katie, getting in a fair amount of punches to the Londoner's head and upper body. She grit her teeth, wrapping her legs around Lou's waist in order to roll her over on the canvas and onto the mats below outside the ring. Her hands clasped around her neck, choking her and smacking her head against the floor in an unruly kayfabe attack; the crowd were on their feet bearing witness to the entire episode. Katie released her, only to place a hard slap on her cheek, the sound echoing throughout the arena; they had to make the fight seem realistic after all. The next thing Katie felt was a pair of strong arms around her waist, hoisting her upwards and away from the New Yorker. She didn't even have to turn around to know it was her pro. "Come on, calm down."

Lou managed to pull her hair as she was being dragged backwards by Stephen, angering her even more. Katie turned around in Stu's arms, her hands pushing him hard in his chest, backing him into the barricade. "And you can get off me as well!" The Irishman placed his big hands on Lou's shoulders, rubbing his thumbs over her skin in an attempt to calm her down; he leaned forwards, trying to talk some sense into her for the benefit of the rolling cameras.

"Yeh wanna beat her then beat her in the ring."

"Yeah, you're right." She breathed, running a hand through her blonde locks. Katie narrowed her eyes at her friend; they were setting up this match considerably well for an impromptu arrangement. Lou pointed a long finger in her face, her words laced with venom. "We'll see whose better."

"Looking forward to it." She spat in response, watching Stephen and his rookie retreat to the backstage area. Stu pulled her halfway up the ramp, the tips of his fingers a bruising grip on her arm. He was mad, but this was all supposed to happen for the sake of television. It was good to mix it up.

"You know, it was a good speech before the fists started flying." He smirked, attempting to lighten the mood but, of course, to no avail; that brawl had put her right in the zone. Katie sighed heavily before shoving him in the chest again.

"Leave me alone. I'm starting to hate you more than Drew..."

* * *

"Ye doun' need me tae tell ye how to perform my finisher," Drew said into Chesca's ear as he stood behind her in the ring. "Right?" The young rookie smirked as her eyes were set on Madison and Angelina as they made their way down the ramp.

A two-on-one handicap match had been decided to settle things between the three girls; at first, the half-Italian had reluctantly accepted the challenge. Since no other tag team partner was available, and since she wanted to shut their mouths all at once after the fight they had been having with her moments ago, she finally realised how she'd have only been having fun. Her self confidence had kicked in at the right moment; she had outwrestled Madison in FCW already, not to mention all the times she had given a beat down to the ash-blonde bimbo that was Angelina.

"I just need to decide which of these two is going down," she replied, slightly tilting her head to the side. "Then I'm all about the fun in Vegas." Drew rolled his eyes. He kind of imagined what her definition of 'fun in Vegas' would have been; he bit his tongue and approached the ropes as his rookie's opponents stepped into the ring.

Drew had to admit to himself that, maybe, he was a tad bit worried about the upcoming match. Handicap matches, especially against people who totally weren't the best wrestlers in the world, could be very dangerous. As he looked up at Chesca, he wished for her mind not to wander on the shenanigans she had already planned, so she would focus all of her being on Madison and Angelina. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that familiar concentration climb onto her face, and she cracked her knuckles on the other palm.

The bell rang, and the wrestler from Raleigh almost forced her partner to be the first one in; the blonde snorted, and with a flip of her hair she brought her fists up to cover her face, starting to walk around the ring. Layla, at ringside, sighed but still kept on trying to encourage her.

Chesca allowed herself a couple of seconds to think of the strategy she would have used in order not to lose. Actually, it was pretty simple; she should have ended it very quickly, never letting Angelina the time to run to the corner, and tag in the definitely more talented Madison. While she was at it, she should have also remembered to pin her using Drew's finisher, the Future Shock DDT, because that was the whole purpose of the match.

The two women locked up in the middle of the ring, the half-Italian managing to trap Angelina's head with her arm not too long after. As the normal routine of the sequence, the blonde brought both of them against the ropes, freeing herself from her opponent's grip and pushing her on the other side. Chesca bounced on the ropes and went running back towards Layla's rookie, who was supposed to leap frog over her head; yet, this time, Angelina didn't jump on time and high enough, and Chesca found herself being pushed on the mat with the idiotic blonde's crotch on her face.

Layla couldn't actually believe her eyes; she had her hands in her hair, and was shouting out in pain, all while Maryse couldn't stop laughing. Drew, instead, rubbed a hand on his face. He knew far too well that things like this made Chesca lose her temper, almost completely. For a moment, he actually feared for Angelina as he watched how his rookie had now stood up and, grabbing her opponent's leg, had dragged her back to the centre of the ring.

'Think of the load of alcohol you're going to swallow not too long after this, and just calm down,' the half-Italian thought; as her foot stomped on Angelina's abdominals, the now-dominant rookie brushed her hands through her hair, a long movement that was set not to make her flip out completely. She was too serious about wrestling not to get angry because of stupid mistakes.

Chesca leaned down so she could take Angelina's arms under hers and end everything with McIntyre's finisher; the match had just started, yet she already had enough and wanted to put an end to all of it. Still, she felt Madison's scream behind her before she would hit her on her back and cause her to lose her grip on the blonde. Chesca bent over in pain, as the North Carolina native tagged herself in by slapping her partner's hand, and subsequently pushing her away, causing her to roll off the apron.

Just like Chesca, Madison wanted everything to be over as soon as possible. She quickly threw her right arm around the back of Chesca's neck, ready to perform Maryse's Snap DDT, the French Kiss. The half-Italian however, after gaining focus once again, used her shoulders to push the other rookie right into the turnbuckle, earning a groan of pain from her. Drew had lifted his eyes right on time to see his protégé deliver a series of hard kicks to her opponent's chest, in a style that was more driven by rage than a pure and simple wish for victory.

Chesca charged her in a suplex, so she would end up having Madison lying on her back in the middle of the ring; she lifted her hand up, the crowd, cheering for her. As he saw her position herself in order to execute her own finishing manoeuvre, the Scotsman smirked. She could have ended up everything using the Future Shock already, yet she wanted to perform the Alcatraz in order to settle the score with Madison, to make her understand that she was the best one out there.

After her standing corkscrew moonsault, she took a breather and flipped her dark hair over her shoulder; it was clearly to mock Maryse, who was now jumping on the spot as frustration kicked in. As she had loaded Madison's almost lifeless body for the DDT, she looked at Drew while running her tongue on her bottom lip, and finally performed the Future Shock.

One, two, three; the pinfall had been scored perfectly.

"The winner of this match, Titania!" Justin Roberts announced, right as the referee had lifted the half-Italian's hand in victory; Drew, with a satisfied smile on his lips, kept on applauding her. Her resilience had helped her to win the match, completely overcoming even Madison's illegal tag. She had imposed herself and, as a pro, he couldn't help but be proud of her. He just wished he'd have been the one with whom she would be celebrating with that night.

* * *

Lou eyed up Katie, glancing down at Stu stood braced against the apron before turning her attention back to her opponent. The Londoner did the same, jumping on the spot a few times before the referee signalled for the bell to ring. The brawl that had taken place earlier in the night had pumped them both up. They wanted to put on a good show, but most of all, they both wanted to win.

Turning to look at Stephen, Lou found herself being shoved into the corner as Katie took the advantage. She pummelled her with punches until the referee started the five count. He pushed her off Lou, pointing a finger in her face with a stern warning; Katie held up her hands as if she wouldn't touch her opponent again, feigning innocence which everyone had obviously cottoned onto. She went to grab Lou from the corner, only to get struck by a sneaky thumb to the eye. Stu began his protests from outside the ring, shouting abuse to both the referee and Katie's opponent; if he wasn't careful, he would be told to clear off backstage. The New Yorker pushed herself to sit on the top turnbuckle with the help of her hands on the ropes, jumping off with an axe-handle manoeuvre to keep Katie on the canvas. She went for the cover, sticking an elbow right into her face; the count got as far as two before her opponent kicked out with a groan.

Immediately, Lou stood up, pulling Katie with her by her hair. She whipped her into the ropes with force, sending her bouncing back into an impressive spinning side slam. Stephen clapped his hands outside the ring, astounded by her choice of manoeuvre at this point in the match. Lou grabbed Katie's legs, attempting to contort them into a clover submission hold, but she was fought all the way. Katie kicked Lou in the back as she tried to turn, pushing her to the second rope. She clutched a hold of the New Yorker's neck, choking her out and using the rope as a pain resource; she dug her knee into the back of her neck and pulled the rope up so it tightened around her throat. The referee began another five count as Katie taunted Lou with trash talk, much to the amusement of Stu, who watched his rookie from the other side of the ring with his arms folded over his chest. She was forced to break the hold, and reluctantly did so, administering a painful spinebuster in the middle of the ring.

The crowd weren't necessarily getting behind either competitor; both had their shares of cheers and boos, but it seemed as though they were enjoying the action. Katie pulled Lou into a pin, gaining two slams to the mat by the referee before Lou kicked out, pushing her arm in the air to raise her shoulder from the canvas. The Londoner came off the ropes to roll over her opponent, snapping her neck forward to daze her momentarily. She let out a laugh, kicking Lou playfully in her sides as she lay rigid, her breathing laboured. Katie pulled her to a sitting position, feeling the need to impress Stu some more as he looked on. She dug her knee into the New Yorker's lower back, grabbing her arms and stretching them backwards. Lou grit her teeth, the pain in her arms and torso becoming unbearable. With encouragement from her pro, she eventually countered the move, kicking Katie in her mid-section and setting her up for a swinging neckbreaker.

Lou crouched down next to the turnbuckle, getting ready to execute the brogue kick. She could hear Stephen behind her, banging his fists against the apron to try and spur her on. The energy in the arena made her skin tingle; the feeling running through her body gave her the edge that she needed. Just as Katie turned around, Lou ran at her only to be met by a fierce clothesline. Her back hit the mat with a thud before she was swiftly lifted up and hoisted across Katie's shoulders. The Londoner let out a shuddering cry, as a mimic to her pro, and slammed Lou to the mat. The crowd were electric, having witnessed an impressive match. Katie dropped to her knees, stretching the New Yorker's arm out as she leaned over to get the three count.

As her hand was raised in victory by the referee and Justin Roberts announced her as the victor, Stu climbed into the ring and placed a hand on her shoulder. She couldn't explain it, but using Stu's finishing move had really empowered her; her eyes were ablaze with anger as she stared down at Lou, who had rolled away from her and retreated into Stephen's arms. The Irishman helped her out of the ring, lifting her off the apron and supporting her up the ramp as she clutched her waist with a grimace.

"Good job." Stu breathed in Katie's ear, stepping away from her briefly to raise her hand. "Good finisher, where'd you learn that, eh?" Perhaps for the first time ever caught on camera, the pair genuinely smiled at each other and revelled in her victory.

* * *

**A/N – Thank you moxxie23, wades wife, DeansTrueGirl, ThatGirl54, Jojo Barrett, wwemagpie, hotlilmofo, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx and SavageWords for the awesome reviews. Stay tuned to a drama filled night out in Vegas with the rookies and pros. Katie, Chesca and Lou x**


	13. All Bets Are Off

_**Chapter 13 - All Bets Are Off**_

"Yeh sulking because yeh lost?" Stephen smirked, watching his rookie slump down onto one of the beds inside the quaint hotel room. She had been quiet since she had finished her match, mulling over what she could improve on for next week.

"It would be nice to win for a change," Lou didn't want to sound ungrateful. She loved the experience she was getting in the WWE, especially with Stephen by her side.

"Take them as they come, lass." He pulled his shirt off, throwing it into his suitcase. The plan for the evening was to go and check out the casino, though he didn't intend to make any bets, he had a feeling Lou would be spending a fair amount of her money.

"I still can't believe Katie slapped me. I'd hate to get on the wrong side of her out of the ring." Lou shuddered at the thought, running her hand over her cheek.

"How's yer neck?" Still at the other side of the room, he gave her the once over. Unlike him, she had been lucky with her neck injury, only giving her a slight bit of pain now and again.

"It hasn't been giving me any trouble, so that's a good sign I guess." Subconsciously she rubbed her neck, smiling softly at Stephen's concern.

"Yeh guess?" Stephen lifted up his hand and beckoned her over to him. "Come here." Lou groaned and slumped back onto the bed, ignoring his request.

Stephen couldn't help but chuckle lightly at her behaviour. He moved across the room to her, gently lowering himself on top of her, resting his weight on his arms either side of her.

"Ste, what are you doing?" Smirking at her question, he gently pushed his lips against hers, delighted as she sighed against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her back arched up off the bed, rubbing her body against Stephen's, the contact sent tingles flying up her spine and across her body. He pulled back from her, watching her chest rise and fall as she tried to catch her breath.

"Ah'm just making sure yer alright," Stephen spoke in a short breath, his eyes staring into hers.

"I think you better check again," she smirked, revelling in the fact she had brought a smile to her pro's face. He didn't have to be told twice. Dipping his head down he captured her lips, a groan rumbling in his chest as she arched her back and pushed herself into him again. She pushed on his shoulders, making him roll over onto his back. Lou's legs straddled his hips, moaning as his hands gripped onto her thighs, bringing her closer to him.

"What's that?" Lou took note of the faint ringing that was now audible in the room. "Is that your phone?"

"It's nothin', lass." Stephen tried to pull her back down to him; the heavy tugging deep within him wasn't going to be ignored. He pressed his lips against her throat, holding her still so his lips could travel across her smooth skin.

"I think it's your phone." Feeling Lou slip through his fingers Stephen groaned. She climbed off him, moving over to his pile of clothes that he had dumped on his bed next to his gym bag. She found his blackberry and upon seeing Drew's name on the screen she wondered what on earth he would want. They had only seen him 10 minutes ago. "You were right, it was nothing." Lou smiled and returned to her position over Stephen, grateful that had a little while before they ventured into the casino.

* * *

Katie sauntered out of the bathroom after putting the finishing touches to her make-up. She looked across the room to find Stu stood in front of the floor-length mirror, checking over his hair. He smirked at her reflection as his hand patted down stray ungelled strands; she sent a simper back his way, approaching him from the side.

"Nice shirt," she laughed, pulling at the collar playfully. "Manly."

He glanced down at what he was wearing, clearly oblivious to what was so bad about his choice of clothing. "What's wrong with it?"

"Don't you think that the pink's a bit much? And the detail on the collar..." She trailed off, "Seriously, what the hell are you thinking?" Katie pointed to the pink paisley pattern lining the inside and then proceeded to poke at the collar of the black shirt. He shrugged her off, turning to face her.

"I like it."

"Trying to win the bet by wearing shit clothes isn't going to work, just so you know."

Stu feigned hurt, his hand clutching against his chest over his heart. He gave her the once-over and couldn't stop the smile creeping onto his thin lips.

"Neither is wearing a really tight dress. Anyone would think that you're trying to entice me."

"Yeah because I need a tight dress to make you want me," she quipped, moving around the bed to put on her heels. "I bet you'd rather I was naked, under these covers, and waiting for you to fuck me."

"Well there's nothing stopping you from doing that," he chuckled lightly, pulling back the cotton covers and motioning for her to get in the bed. Katie laughed, getting up and walking towards him. He stared down at her as she plucked at the buttons of his shirt.

"If I'm getting naked then so are you." As soon as the words escaped her mouth, Stu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you serious?"

She pulled him down to her by gripping hard onto the material of his shirt, her lips a hair's breadth away from his ear. "No," he grunted when she backed away from him, a cocky smirk plastered on her face. "But you should take off that shirt anyway. Burn it, even."

Stu glanced down at his shirt, beginning to regret buying it in the first place. Perhaps he could give it to Cody; he would wear anything and not care what anyone thought. Katie's somewhat gentle jibes had gotten to him, as much as he hated to admit it.

"New shirt," he mumbled to himself, hoping that his rookie hadn't bothered to listen.

* * *

Wandering through the casino, Lou slipped her arm through Stephen's. The flashing bright lights were overwhelming, drawing people to wherever they could lose their pay check.

"So what's your weakness?" She asked, gazing around the room to see what she could spend some money on first.

"Excuse me?" Stephen laughed, scanning the room for anyone they would know. A lot of people from the roster were out in full force, making the most of their time in Las Vegas.

"I love the slots," Lou nodded towards the closest row of slot machines.

"Ah thought yeh'd be glued to the poker tables." Stephen mused, remembering the poker game where she cleaned Stu out, much to his amusement.

"Later, I like to warm up first."

"In a bit, Stu's over there." The Irishman pulled her arm from his and pressed his palm to her small of her back, guiding her through the room.

"How yeh doing, fella?" Stephen greeted his friend, almost ignoring Katie. "And yehself, lass?" He nodded towards the brunette who smiled back.

"Just enjoying the time off and celebrating the win." Stu crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing the couple with a smirk.

Lou stood close to Stephen, watching Stu carefully. She still didn't like him. "How about another game of poker?"

"Haven't you lost enough tonight?" The Englishman bit back, smirking as he watched the blonde's smile disappear in a flash.

"You know what-" Lou moved around Stephen, pointing her finger at Stu but she was stopped short.

"How about a drink? Come on, lass," he tugged on her elbow, trying to pull her away from the Englishman. "Yeh seem to like starting trouble these days." Stephen spoke close to hear ear so anyone they passed couldn't hear.

"I'm not starting anything. God that man knows how to push my buttons. I don't know how Katie puts up with him."

"He's not all bad." Stephen defended his friend but Lou shook her head. She would leave Katie to deal with Stu; she seemed to be doing a pretty good job so far.

"I just don't trust him Stephen, especially with what he's doing with Katie. It's like he's brainwashed her." Stephen rolled his eyes, knowing full well that Katie was capable of standing up for herself. And if anyone had a fighting chance against Stu, it was his equally feisty rookie.

"Ah think they were made fer each other." Stephen grinned, leaning against the side of the bar once they had reached it.

"Wait, you're approving of their twisted relationship now?" Lou couldn't quite believe that he wasn't siding with her.

"They're adults, they can do whatever they like."

"Sounds like Katie's not the only one who's brainwashed." She mumbled, annoyed that her pro was agreeing with Stu. So they had been friends long before she had entered the picture, but to change his mind so suddenly just didn't sit well with her.

Stephen gripped onto her arm, stopping her in her tracks. "How abou' we focus on our relationship, no' theirs?"

Lou sighed, annoyed that she had let herself get so annoyed. Katie would come to her if anything was wrong. She was also a grown woman, capable of looking after herself. If she needed her, so be it. But for now she would put all her attention on improving her skills in the ring, and maybe with her Irish pro as well.

* * *

Katie sighed as Stu was dealt another hand at one of the many poker tables. There was a crowd forming quickly, so it was easier for her to hide her tells from the other players. It didn't look good for her pro.

"You sure you don't need any help there, Stewie?"

"Don't call me that," he retorted, his temper quickly rising. "And I'm perfectly fine playing with myself."

"Uh huh, I bet you are..." Katie laughed, nudging his arm when he didn't crack a smile at her joke. "Come on, where's your sense of humour?"

"My head's in the game, alright?"

"I'm a great mascot and an even better judge of character. Do you not want me here?"

"Why don't you go and get yourself a drink or something?"

"Why don't you let me hang out?"

He threw another plastic chip into the middle, increasing the potential winnings. Katie watched him with a glare, her eyes boring a hole into his skull as he continued his game. He flipped his cards over, thinking he had a winning hand but instead found himself losing to an older gentleman from across the table. Stu slammed his fist down onto the surface in frustration, his remaining plastic chips clicking together in the pile he had assembled as he did so. "You're throwing me off."

"I'm not doing anything," she argued, placing her hands on his shoulders to lean over him and mumble in his ear. "And I haven't done anything for a week."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Yours!" Her answer invited questioning glances from the other people sat at the table. She laughed nervously as all eyes were on her before gesturing towards the dealer to begin another game.

"How is it mine?" Stu asked, trying to keep his voice down so they avoided causing a scene. Katie refused to back down, her voice maintaining its level.

"You wanted this. You're the one who bet me that I couldn't last a week without you. Well, you know what? At midnight, I would have proved you wrong."

"I'm not getting into this with you right now." He reprimanded, sliding his cards towards him as they lay face-down on the table.

"Why can't you just admit to me how you really feel, huh?"

Stu scoffed, turning his attention back to his cards which were hidden from the other players sat at the table. "I could say the same thing to you," he laughed bitterly, not even turning back to look at her. "Just leave me alone for a bit."

"Fine, if you don't want me here then I'll just go off and find someone else to talk to," she turned back to him quickly, her hair whipping in the air as she did so. "And by talk I really mean fool around and have sex with. I wonder where Ziggler is..."

"Whatever, Katie."

"I'm going to tell you how great he is in bed. How much better he is than you."

"Then I'd know you were lying," he answered with a chuckle. "You won't find another man as good as me."

"Wanna bet?"

"Bet?" He pursed his lips, feigning bewilderment. "I'm confused as to what we're already doing here..."

"You're unbelievable," Katie argued, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared him down.

"Thank you," he replied, his back completely to her.

Katie huffed, pushing her way through the growing crowd without looking back. If he was going to be like that, then fine. She would go and find her fun elsewhere, even if there was no Dolph Ziggler to shamelessly flirt with.

* * *

Stu shuffled through the casino, adamant of seeking out his rookie. He weaved through people stood around different tables, his eyes immediately finding Lou and Stephen hanging around a crowded blackjack table. Drinks in hand, they were having a great time just being in each other's presence. Stu frowned; he didn't actually believe that Katie would be with anyone else but them tonight, obviously she was up to mischief again. Yet, she was nowhere to be seen around the table. He pushed his way through to get to his acquaintances, receiving grunts and glares from certain people; he ignored them completely, tapping Lou on the shoulder.

"Where is she?" She turned around to meet his focused stare, the smell of the malt whiskey he had just swallowed still fresh on his breath.

"Katie? She's over there." Stu's jade gaze followed Lou's gesturing hand to settle on his rookie sat on a barstool chatting to a random, and well-off looking, gentleman. She laughed uncontrollably at one of his no doubt ridiculous and unfunny jokes, her hand landing on the man's chest to steady herself. Clearly she was reaching her limit. Stephen noticed the Englishman's scowl and the quiver of his Adam's apple as he let out a breath. He offered him a smile, but his attention was fully focused on Katie acting like putty in the man's hands.

"Yeh alright, fella?"

"No, I'm not," he mumbled, turning back to them, feeling like he had witnessed enough. "I've fucking had enough of this." Lou looked at him confused as he retreated through the crowd and advanced towards where his rookie sat.

"What's he doing?" She asked Stephen, who contently wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled her way.

"Call me crazy, but Ah think he's jus' grown some balls."

It was like he was a man possessed. If this was an attempt to piss him off then it was working. The Englishman passed by many people in order to reach her, earning interested stares from strangers; he commandeered all the attention available, his presence was overwhelming. He could only take so much teasing before he snapped. This was it. He reached the bar, listening in on the man's pretentious views about things that Katie obviously didn't care about; she smiled and nodded along, taking a sip of the drink he had bought her out of kindness. She stiffened up when the man's hand slipped to her thigh and lightly squeezed the exposed flesh. Stu narrowed his eyes; that should have been him, no matter how much he tried to deny it. It was time to do something drastic; something that would prove what he truly wanted.

He walked up to her, quickly grabbing her hand and spinning her off the stool to face him. She stared up at him like he was crazy, raising her eyebrows and silently commanding an answer from his mouth. The man she had been chatting to shot up, his bad temper swift. He too, wanted an answer.

"What the fuck?"

Stu turned to him, holding his hand out to stop any arguments. His voice was warning, but at the same time deep and brooding. "Back off, mate."

His cold stare was enough to get him to leave, taking his beer with him and weaving through the crowds of people stood around tables. Stu shook his head, presuming that he would be off lurking for his next fix. He wouldn't let that happen to Katie; he didn't want her to be just another number. He certainly didn't want anyone else to have her. Still, his rookie stared up at him, wanting him to explain his actions. He focused in on her pink lips, full and parted, and had to swallow hard; if this was what it was going to take then he would do it right here, right now.

She yelped as he tugged her towards him, his breath dancing across the apple of her cheek. Her eyes slipped shut when he crashed his lips to hers, not as forceful as previous encounters but equally as passionate. She moaned softly, linking her arms around his neck to pull him closer, not wanting to break the kiss for anything. Onlookers could only ogle, distant co-workers seemed perplexed. He slid his tongue into her mouth, his fingers stroking over her brown locks and down her body to settle on her hips, the fabric of her dress sliding upwards slightly. Neither of them could care about who saw them; it just no longer mattered. Katie threaded her fingers through the soft dark curls at the back of his neck, the warmth of her touch seeping into his skin. He inwardly smiled as he felt her relax; the way she was reacting made it seem like she felt exactly the same as him. She pulled away from him being left completely breathless. Stu pressed a quick kiss just below her ear, his deep voice making her shiver.

"Don't fight me on this one."

* * *

"Where the hell are we?" Chesca lazily asked.

"Wanna know something?" Hawkins replied after tilting his head back to swallow the last drops of Jack Daniel's in his bottle. "I don't know."

The two looked up; Chesca and the New Yorker were in front of a small building that was of a pinkish colour. On the peak of the roof, a cross that must have been visible from miles was lit up by neon lights. In a curvy calligraphy above the entrance door was a sign; _Chapel de San Josè_.

"I bet it's... It's a church!" Chesca said, leaning with her elbow on his shoulder and taking the whiskey bottle away from his hands; much to her disappointment, it was already empty.

"Church?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. "Since we're here then, come on." Curt let his hand slide down her arm, lacing his fingers with hers and bringing them up to his mouth to leave a kiss on her smooth skin.

"Let's have this tour then." With glistening eyes, Chesca smiled and let Curt drag her inside the chapel.

The smell of flowers inebriated their senses whilst soft organ music played in the background; it made everything feel as if they were in some kind of dream. The chapel was completely empty, the three rows of white wooden benches were at each side of the walkway leading to the arch decorated with white roses that served as the altar.

"Can I be of any help to you?" A short man with dark hair and a moustache, talking with a strong Mexican accent came in from the same entrance. Curt took his cowboy hat off and lifted it above his head, greeting the man that appeared to be the priest.

Curt's cowboy outfit was impeccable. Black leather pants and high boots, a silver belt buckle with the skull of a bull decorated the top of his pants. A dark grey plaid shirt covered his torso and a black bandanna around his neck completed his look; he could have come straight from a Clint Eastwood movie.

"We were just looking around. Nice place." The young rookie said, her hand never leaving Curt's as she looked down at her cream coloured cowboy boots. She took the chance to pull down the material of her denim jeans shorts over her toned thighs.

"Erm... Can you give us a moment, man?" Hawkins said to the priest, patting his shoulder. The man nodded and busied himself in adjusting the flowers wrapped around the arch's column.

"Chesca?" Curt asked to McIntyre's rookie, in a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"Marry me."

"What?" She gasped, her eyes wide with surprise as he drunkenly smiled at her.

"You heard that right," he continued, "Let's get married. Here."

"Christ," Chesca replied nervously. "My parents won't like it."

"They'll adore me like my mom will adore you."

"Lou and Katie will kill me; I named them as my bridesmaids..."

"Fuck, Ches!" Hawkins burst out laughing, leaning down to kiss the young woman's lips with greed. "I love everything about you. Be my wife. That's it."

Chesca listened to her pro with wide eyes; she had never seen someone so determined in wanting her. She didn't know what she was doing but it looked like something fun to do. The images of the first night with her new husband already made her giggle.

"Let's do this."

* * *

They lay exhausted, tangled in the sheets; their limbs were intertwined as they attempted to catch their breath. Katie turned her head to see Stu staring up at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling sharply, a satisfied smile etched on his face. His arm reached out to her, draping across the slim expanse of her shoulders and pulling her closer to his chest. She bit her lip; it was strange how different she felt about closeness after they had accepted their feelings for each other. Intimacy was a brand new concept. Her fingers stroked down his chest, tracing the grooves between his hard muscles. He dropped a kiss to her forehead and felt her press further into his embrace. She lifted her head to meet his gaze, her lips curving into a blissful smile. Stu grinned, cupping a flushed cheek in his large hand, his thumb stroking softly over her cheekbone. This was the side to the Englishman that she hadn't seen before; his guard was down, his true actions speaking for him. She could feel his hot breath against her skin as he slowly leaned closer. Katie closed her eyes as he kissed her deeply, slowly moving his lips against hers and revelling in her flavour. A series of knocks to the door disrupted their quiet moment. Stu gripped her tighter in a possessive hold; he had no intention of moving.

"Leave it," he whispered against her lips, hoping that she would ignore it like he was trying to.

Maybe; just maybe, they would give up and go away after a while. Katie sighed contently as his palm travelled to her lower back; forgetting the person on the other side of the door was getting easier with every ministration of his hand to her skin.

"Katie! I know you're in there!" Lou shouted from the hallway, her voice muffled by the thick wood but still audible from the sheer volume. She banged her fist hard against it several times, becoming increasingly frustrated when no one came to answer. "Come on, open the door right now!"

Stu groaned, pulling himself out of the bed and tracing heavy steps towards the entrance of their hotel room. "I'll deal with her."

"Stu?" Katie's voice stopped him mid-step. He slowly turned to see her wrapped in the bed sheets, her hair unkempt, lips plump and bruised from his kisses; just the way he liked her best.

"What?"

"You haven't got any clothes on." She giggled as he looked down at himself; nothing but glorious skin. He chucked back, watching her get up and search for something to slip on quickly. She grabbed her discarded underwear and buttoned up his shirt on her slim frame before seeing to her impatient friend. The Englishman followed close behind, keeping himself well-guarded by Katie's body as she opened up the door.

Lou rolled her eyes at the sight before her. "Oh my god. That's the second time you've appeared naked in front of me. Are you allergic to clothes or something?" Her question was clearly directed at Stu, but her answer came from Katie's mouth swiftly.

"Oh come on, it's not like you can see anything this time."

"She stole my shirt," he quipped, snaking his arms around Katie's waist and grasping at the material with his fists.

"But not your pants..." Lou argued, her hands set impatiently on her hips. "Can't you house that thing?"

"Why have you always got to ruin our good time, Louise?" He asked, pressing his lips to Katie's neck before looking to her for some back up. She shook her head with a small smile, deciding to steer the conversation into another direction.

"Where's Ste?"

"In our room. I need to talk to you; it's pretty urgent." The New Yorker was beginning to sound frantic; the sight in front of her began to fizzle from her mind as she kept a tight hold on her phone, keep feeling the need to check it every ten seconds.

"Yeah, I got that. What's happening?"

"I just got the weirdest voicemail from Ches."

Stu let out a frustrated sigh; Lou had interrupted their alone time for that? "That's great." He interjected, lengthening the vowels to emphasise the blatant sarcasm; he pushed Katie forward so he could try to close the door again. "Bye now." Katie couldn't help but tut at Stu's careless attitude, stopping him from shutting Lou out. They had completely lost track of Chesca over the course of the evening; god knows what she was up to.

"What did she say? Is she alright?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "She sounds wasted. Here, have a listen." Lou passed her phone to Katie, instructing her to press the button for the speakerphone. The line was crackling; the unmistakable laughter of Curt in the background as Chesca slurred and murmured into the receiver.

"Drew needs to fuck off and leave me alone...Who the hell does he think he is? Worming his way into my business...But Hawkins is so sweet though...I need you guys...You need to be here...Witnesses-" The message cut off before anymore could be said. The whole situation was pretty cryptic.

"What the fuck is she on?" Katie asked, confusion setting in as she looked to Lou for an answer. She shrugged, taking back her phone and checking over the call's status.

"She sent it like an hour ago when we were down in the casino. Oh, hold on..." They stared at Lou, the sound of a new message coming through. "Oh shit."

"What?"

"Check it out."

"She didn't..."

"They got married?" Stu laughed as Katie held the phone up for him to see. A photo of Chesca and Curt looking worse for wear and pointing out their wedding rings with goofy smiles on their faces stared back at them. "Jesus, they really must be pissed."

"This isn't funny, Stu!"

Lou snatched her phone back, trying to keep a level head. "What are we going to do?"

"We?" Stu scoffed, shaking his head. "We're not going to do anything."

"He's right, Lou," Katie finally said, "Come on, it's really late and we won't be able to do anything about the situation until the morning."

"Besides, they're probably consummating that marriage by now." Stu tightened his arms around Katie's waist, pulling her against him with a hungry look in his eyes. The English rookie took that as a massive hint, and turned back to Lou.

"Look, just call her up, ask her if she's okay and then get back to Ste. The poor sod's probably waiting for you, naked, in bed..."

Lou pursed her lips, battling a visible dilemma. Perhaps they were right; even if they managed to find Chesca it was probably too late to do anything about her nuptials tonight. She sighed, glancing down at her phone once more before giving in. "Alright, I'll see you guys in the morning."

Katie waited until Lou disappeared down the corridor before closing the door. She turned around to see Stu immediately reach for the buttons on the shirt she was wearing. He deftly released the two halves, running his lips across her collar bone. Her nipples scraped against his chest when he possessively pulled her close, laying a passionate kiss on her lips. "Let's go back to bed."

She responded favourably, backing him towards the bed, her lips never leaving his. Once again their moment was disrupted by sharp knocks on the door. Katie pulled away from him, coming to the end of her tether. "Oh for fuck sake! Can't we have a little privacy?" She buttoned up the shirt once more, instructing her naked pro to sit tight under the covers. Her eyes narrowed when she opened the door. "Drew?"

"Lassie! Ye' gettin' in there wit' me mate again, huh?" He slurred his words, his hands bracing the doorframe to keep his balance.

"What are you doing here?"

"Comin' back to the room Ah paid for," the Scotsman pushed his way into the room, not paying mind to what he had just disrupted. It would have been worse if he hasn't lost his keycard; he could've walked in on something rather memorable. Stu shook his head disapprovingly as he sat up in bed. His best friend looked incredibly worse for wear.

"Your breath stinks!" Katie grimaced as she took a step back from Drew. He fell backwards onto the armchair with a drunken chuckle. She turned to Stu and shrugged her shoulders before looking back at Drew who was nursing his temples with shaky fingers. "You haven't seen or heard from Ches by any chance?"

His blue eyes darkened at the mention of his rookie's name. He seemed angry; maybe he knew more than they did.

"She buggered off wit' that idiot."

"And you let her?"

"Ah'm jus' her pro. Ah can't stop her from doin' what she wants." He let out a deep sigh and ran a hand over his face. "Ye' don't mind me stoppin' here, do ye'?" Stu looked at Katie who had her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn't happy that they had been interrupted. He offered her an apologetic smile before trying to explain the situation to Drew.

"Actually mate-"

The Scotsman jumped up with a lopsided grin. "Good, ye' won't even know Ah'm here."

He placed an arm around Katie's shoulders but she was quick to shrug him off. The room had rapidly grown tense since his arrival.

"...Drew, we're going to have sex."

"We are?" He asked, surprise evident in his tone. "But Ah don't like ye' like that, lassie."

She made a disgusted face, like she would ever sleep with him. Stu laughed at his friend's stupidity; he knew he was drunk but he surely couldn't have been that ill-informed. Katie patted Drew's shoulder, nodding towards the bed after. "Not me and you, Casanova. Stu and I are going to have sex."

"Haven't ye' had enough o' that already?"

The Englishman smirked, his response was husky. "You can never have enough."

"Why don't you go and look for Ches?"

"Or go and speak to Ste. He'll be able to take care of you." Stu suggested, watching as Katie attempted to guide his friend across the room and out of the door.

* * *

"Chesca?" Drew knocked on the door anxiously. He hadn't seen his rookie since the night before when he had left her with her so-called boyfriend, or better, fuck buddy. He knocked again, and with a sigh he waited.

A few moments later the hotel room opened; a visibly tired but friendly Curt was right in front of him. He was all dressed up to go to the gym for a morning workout; he left the room and slowly closed the door behind himself.

"Relax, man," the blond said, his right hand patting him on his shoulder, "Rookie's in the shower, she'll be good to go in a sec." Drew didn't know what annoyed him more; the fact that Curt hadn't let him in or that he was talking to him as if he were to protect Chesca from the big bad pro.

"Alrigh'" he replied, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Ah'll wait 'ere, thanks." Curt tried to smile at Drew, but he wouldn't even look up. Resigned, he dragged the gym bag with him through the hallway, walking to the elevators.

As his back slid down the wall and he ended up sitting next to Chesca's room, Drew took a deep breath as he thought of the night before. Even though the NXT episode had gone wonderfully for the two of them, Chesca hadn't behaved with him the way he would've liked her to. She had left him alone as both Stephen and Stu had spent time with their rookies, without any apparent reason. He would have liked to offer Chesca dinner - like a civilized and kind person – and be the friend he wanted to be to her. Nothing more. Yet, she hadn't given him this possibility.

And Curt? There was something in him that had made him forget how close he could be with him. They both couldn't get a chance in the main event, they were forced to work twice as hard to get noticed and simply having a match at a house show was a huge event. Truth was, and Drew refused to admit it, that he'd have liked to be in his spot. To be the one that Chesca ran to after her matches to ask if she had done well, to be the one to give her advice so she could get better; it wasn't only a matter of sleeping with her. Taryn seemed so dull compared to her; that was why he kept on being attracted to his rookie, even though it was the last thing he should have been.

Once again, the door was pulled open and Chesca finally emerged from her room. An Oakland Raiders jersey stopped at her hips, she had thrown on a pair of grey sweatpants and tied her hair up in a loose bun over her head; not a trace of make-up was on her face, well, maybe a little from the reckless night before. Her left hand delved into one of her pockets as her right one picked up her backpack. Drew cleared his throat so she would acknowledge his presence and the girl finally looked at him.

"Hey," she said, trying not to get lost in his blue orbs. "Nice to see ya."

"Really nou'?" Drew replied, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips. He took a long look at her; saying she was exhausted wouldn't have covered it. Yet, he didn't want to know why. "Where did yeh go last night? Been lookin' fer ye'."

"Here and there," she shrugged her shoulders and started walking down the corridor, "Visiting Vegas, I guess." Drew rolled his eyes as he walked next to her.

"Ye' guess?"

"When are you going to stop answering with questions?" She finally replied, annoyed. She stopped to look at him once again, and under his tough exterior she could totally say that he looked worried for her - she wasn't expecting that.

"Okay," Drew finally sighed, "Ye' win. Want tae train this mornin'?" He tried to change the subject, "No Taryn in the middle, an' no Curt. Jus' ye' an' me, practicin'." Chesca took a glimpse of his face as he said so. He was trying to smile and reassure her, and he had just proposed to do what she loved most in the world; pure and simple wrestling training, good to release the mind and the best way to get rid of a hangover.

"Cool," she told him, "Let me get warmed up, huh?" Drew felt his concern slide off his shoulders, knowing that she had accepted his proposal of being normal with each other. But right when he was about to apologise for being too inquisitive, he saw her left hand almost in slow motion raising up to push the elevator's button. There he saw a golden shiny thing around her ring finger, and he felt his heart sink.

"What in the world is that?" He stretched his arm to grab her wrist, as Chesca wouldn't even react to his question.

"Ches?"

"Oh come on..."

"Ye' got married?" He asked, almost whispering so that no one could hear it, trying to contain the anger building up. "Are ye' crazy, stupid, or what?"

"You're saying that just because it's Brian!" Unbelieving, Drew kept on staring at her.

"Of course," he said, with a bitter smile. "Of course it's him ye' married in bloody Las Vegas."

"Listen up, alright?" Chesca had now decided to get angry, "I may regret it, but he has a blast all the time. He doesn't have secrets, he doesn't want to take control of me or my life, he's..." she took a breath as Drew continued to stare, "He's good for me."

"Yer talking nonsense..."

"And above all," she unexpectedly inserted a hand in his jeans' pocket, taking his own wedding ring out of it and waving it in front of his face, "Now, we're even." Reality hit him. Even if in God knows what chapel she had gotten married in, it was legal; she was now Mrs. Myers, or Hawkins, if she preferred. And he couldn't do anything about it. He could only cope with the fact that it was time to get over all the feelings he had for her.

"Hope ye' left me a slice o' cake." He let her wrist go. Taking his wedding ring, he angrily slipped it on. He felt like a grip around his heart as he did so, but he tried not to think about it.

"Too bad you weren't there for the official pictures," she shot back at him, as she got inside the elevator. "See you at the gym."

Drew stood there, speechless. He wanted to open his eyes and realise he was in a bad dream. He blinked once, hoping not to see the doors closing and Chesca behind them, looking down at her shiny gold wedding ring.

* * *

**A/N – Thank you xj0j0x, xHalosandwings, ResplendentAnarchist, peeps8705, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx, Pinayprincesa, anonymous, Ree Howerton and Stright Edge Queen for the reviews. We apologise for the long wait, hopefully it wont be that long next time :) Lou, Katie and Chesca**


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